


Teen Titans: Apocalypse Maintainant

by strawberrymilkytea



Category: DC Animated Universe, Teen Titans (Animated Series), Teen Titans (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice (Comics)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-03-22 21:51:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13773300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberrymilkytea/pseuds/strawberrymilkytea
Summary: Starfire's niece did not choose to come to Earth. She was left here to die.





	1. Banished Princess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Korian'ri is a character that I created, so she is not canon. For this story I've taken elements from the YJ series and the current Teen Titans movie arc (Justice League VS. Teen Titans/Judas Contract).

[Chapter 1 – Banished Princess]

The vacuum of space pulled at Ri’s long chocolate-brown hair as she watched the cargo bay doors open like a set of great jaws onto an endless starry expanse. A colossal pink and silver mecha battle suit was being brought into the repair station, its reinforced titanium gleaming in the light of Vega, the bright star at the center of their solar system.  
Grabbing her satchel of tools from the workbench, Tamaran’s youngest princess gathered up her abundance of curls and tied them away from her face before heading towards the giant metal lift in the far corner of the bay.

The room itself was wide and cavernous — it had to be, in order to accommodate the one-hundred-and-ten foot tall mobile suits used in astral battle. Every ship in Tamaran’s military had at least two mobile suits, but the Ark Angel housed twelve, since it was the largest star ship in the galactic military.  
Ri passed the other suits, each unique in design, as they, too, were docked and prepared for repairs and maintenance. None of the others offered her assistance as she laid out her tools: everyone knew that only she was allowed to work on Saber Artemis.  
She’d become the youngest zero-gravity mechanic in recent history at the age of 1600 (roughly 16 Earth years), as well as the youngest solider ever to reach Sapphire rank.

After smoothing out the dents in the pink and white metal and polishing it to a shine, Ri got to work on the undercarriage, opening a compartment in one of the pillar like legs to reveal several wires, cogs, and other machinery. Using a socket wrench, she tightened some loose bolts, then replaced a couple of fraying wires. After that, all that was left was to fill the fuel tanks.

“Sapphire Korian’ri!” A girl a little younger than Ri with a pixie-cut of bright-orange hair and deep all-green eyes sprinted up to her, an urgent expression on her face. She wore a similar uniform to Ri’s — a tight fitting white spandex suit lined inside with lightweight chainmail, with armored pieces on the shoulders, forearms, breast, leg and boots that covered the shins. The only differences, of course, were the colors of the armor. Ri’s was a stunning shimmery blue, while the other girl’s was light-peach.

Setting aside her wire cutters and removing her grease stained gloves, Ri stood straight when the girl saluted her. “At ease, Coral Cagall’i.” she instructed. Cagall’i lowered her arm and spoke in an alarmed but hushed tone. “The Grand Ruler is requesting to speak with you.”

 

Lifting a slender eye brow, Ri shrugged. This was hardly anything new — Komand’r often contacted the Ark Angel via projection conference to ensure that things were running smoothly onboard, and discuss tactics with Ri’s superiors, the Platinums. “Do not look so frightened, Coral.” Ri lightly chuckled. “You have seen holo-projections of the Grand Ruler before.”

Quickly, Cagall’i shook her head. “No, ma’am. She’s /here/.”

Ri felt her stomach drop as if she’d swallowed a bag of rocks. She gripped the edge of the metal work table to steady herself and cleared her throat. “Very well. I will be there shortly.”

With her message delivered, the young Coral went off to perform more errands for higher ranking officers, leaving Ri desperately trying to grasp her bearings. This was anything but good news.

Her mother had physically made the trip to the Ark Angel from Tamaran. Never once since Ri had been sent here during early childhood had Komand’r visited in person, and the princess could not shake the feeling that something awful awaited her.

/ / 

"Moty'a -- Greev'a." [Mother -- /grand ruler/] Quickly, Ri pressed her fist over her heart and bowed to one knee before the sweeping purple robes of her mother. The queen of Tamaran was cruel and heartless, but beautiful on the outside as she was hideous within. Long raven hair, deep-emerald eyes, a smooth, slender form. For all appearances, she projected elegance and grace.  
Komand'r smiled passively, making Ri even more uneasy. "Korian'ri, nag'va retoz'a." [Korian'ri, dearest daughter.] "Zenz'r raft, nac'h augh't?" [It has been far too long, has it not?]  
Nodding skeptically, Ri remained in her low position. Not a princess. Just a mechanic. /Remember your place./ she thought nervously to herself. Rumors were already spreading about an uprising— a rebellion down on Tamaran, whose goal was to ovethrow Komand'r, who had become nothing but a power hungry dictator.

Deep-violet eyes calmly overlooked Ri as she remained on one knee before her mother. A silver, amethyst encrusted headdress rested in Komand’r’s ebony hair, silver chains with glass jewels dangling from them hanging by the sides of her face.

Though her touch was soft as a butterfly’s wing, Ri still flinched whenever the Grand Ruler crouched down and cupped her left ear. “You have earned your sapphires.” Running her slender finger gently over the precious blue stud earring in Ri’s lobe, she gave a smile that was anything but warm. “Most impressive.”

In the Tamaranean Armed Forces, the ranks were as follows, from lowest to highest:  
Coral  
Pearl  
Ruby  
Amethyst  
Sapphire  
Opal  
Platinum

Each recruit wore the corresponding earrings and armor to their rank, and it took many years to reach the higher levels. Ri had worked all her life for those sapphires.

"Walk with me, dearest daughter." Twirling with fluid grace, Kom started down the metal corridor and exited the maintenance bay. Shoving her gloves into her bag, Ri quickly followed.  
"I have heard remarkable things about your work here." The queen said evenly, looking straight ahead as Ri fell into step with her. "The youngest Zero-G mechanic in over a century, and one of the very best in your field. I would like to thank you for your service to me, and all of Tamaran.”

 

Although Ri hadn't exactly expected a deep, heart to heart conversation, she hadn't quite been prepared for something so formal. Passively, she noticed they were making their way to the cargo bay. The feeling of dread returned to Ri's stomach. She nervously gripped the strap of her bag, biting her lower lip. Surely the great Queen Komand'r did not come all the way up to a battle ship to merely congratulate a mechanic. No matter how unpredictable the grand ruler was, one thing was always certain; everything she did had a self-serving, maniacal reason behind it.

 

"It has been many night cycles since you visited me last, daughter. So I thought it appropriate for me to come to you. I am sure that your duties keep you quite busy, and so I will overlook it." Kom continued to walk, her heels clicking unnervingly on the titanium floor.  
"Most gracious of you, your highness." Bowing her head slightly again, Ri kept trailing after her mother.  
"Ah, but there is a matter of importance that we must discuss." turning to face her daughter, the queen's false smile faded. Pleasantries were over.  
Ri gulped, but managed to hide her trembling well.  
"I am sure that you are aware by now that rioting has broken out among the outer sectors of Tamaran. They wish to dethrone me." she said this in a mild tone, turning to the door that they had paused in front of. "They seem to think that I do not treat them fairly." Now her voice took on a bitter edge so sharp that it made Ri wince.

Opening the sliding steel door, Kom beckoned for Ri to follow.

Inside the cavernous hold were several metal crates, carrying anything from ammunition to provisions. Ri had only ever been in here a handful of times, though she'd lived on the Ark Angel most of her life.

"Queen mother.. what are we doing in here..?” her voice sounded small, and no longer could she mask her fear.

Suddenly the lights overhead flashed on, illuminating the large bay all around them. Slowly, Komand'r turned to Ri, an unreadable expression on her tragically beautiful face. She stepped forward and placed her hands on Ri's shoulders, squeezing them once before pulling her into a warm embrace.  
Shock overtook the princess. Never before had her mother hugged her, nor shown her an ounce of true affection. What in X’hal’s name was happening?  
After a moment, Ri returned the embrace.

"Forgive me, Korian'ri. But they will never truly accept me as their queen, so long as you live."

 

Then Komand'r released her and stepped back, into the side room where a glass wall gave imperial guards a clear view of the cargo while it was loaded and unloaded. A door slid shut between them, and Ri realized too late what was going on.

The bay doors began opening, splitting like the jaws of a great beast, creating a strong vacuum. Since she wasn’t wearing her gravity boots, Ri was hauled off of her feet, dragged over several crates, and then catapulted out into space. Suddenly, a strong pull ripped her downward. Frantically, she caught a glance of the planet below: radiant blues and brilliant greens. She was trapped, breathless, in its crushing gravity.

Too distraught to think, too betrayed, confused, and hurt to use her powers, all she could do was fall.  
Entering the atmosphere burned. A million white-hot talons carved into her skin, burning scars all up and down her arms. She screamed and screamed, but somehow felt that she could carry on forever and it wouldn't be enough to express the pure agony she felt.

Head still reeling, body scorched and blistered, she finally broke into a sea of endless blue and white.  
//

A flash of pink streaked through the sky, coming in hot towards a field on the outskirts of Bullet City. Jason Todd monitored the foreign object intently, wondering what it could be. A UFO? It was moving way too fast to be a crashing jet or plane. In fact, no aircraft in the world could move this fast.  
Checking the exact coordinates for where it would land, he grabbed his jacket and exited the Outlaws compound.

 

It was dark by the time he reached the steaming crater among burning grass. A faint pink glow emanated from within, growing slightly brighter as Jason neared it. To his shock, he found a girl. Long dark hair, tan skin, surrounded by a rosy aura. "Kory?" he muttered at first, but then shook his head. She did, however, bear a slight resemblance to his old teammate. Slender facial structure, busty but thin, with rounded hips and a similar otherworldly look to Kory. But she was obviously much younger.

One thing was clear; she needed medical attention immediately. Burns and bruises and bloody gashes covered her entire body, and one of her legs was bent all the way backward, the bone just barely visible. How had she survived such a brutal landing? Spotting a soot-marked satchel nearby, he shouldered it, then crouched to gingerly gather the girl up into his arms. She whimpered faintly, a heart breaking sound.  
“You’ll be okay.” he assured. “Just hang in there.”

//  
Many emotions ran through Ri’s mind the moment she opened her eyes again, surrounded by whiteness and strange noises. Shooting up into a sitting position, she was panic stricken, eyes wide and terrified. Her entire body hurt, so she subconsciously tested each limb, only to find that her left arm felt off. She cried out in shock when she found not a hand, but bloodstained bandages over where it should be. Her hand was completely gone!!

“Hey, it’s okay,” a voice drew her immediate attention towards the windows. A tall, muscularly built young man approached the bedside. His overlong hair was jet black and messy, with streaks of white in his bangs, and he had the bluest eyes Ri had ever seen. “You’re safe.”

“At’all? At’all re’vee!” she inquired desperately. She couldn’t understand him, which only served to further her panic.

Reaching with her right hand, she pulled him down to her by his shoulder and pressed her lips to his, assimilating his entire language in a nanosecond. When she pulled away to his surprised expression, she blurted out, “Who the hell are you? Where the hell am I? And what the hell happened to my /arm/?!”  
“Did you just…absorb my vocabulary?” He blinked a few times. “Uh – I’m Jason.You’re in a hospital; you had a pretty intense fall. The doctors had to take off your hand because there was no saving it. They thought they might have to amputate your right leg, too, but luckily they managed to avoid that.”  
“What planet is this?” Ri demanded.  
“Earth.” Jason replied. “I had a feeling you weren’t from around here. You wouldn’t happen to be Tamaranean by any chance?”

Before she could answer, Ri had to force herself to calm down. Though her hand shook tremendously, she managed.  
“I am of Tamaran.” The response was almost automatic. In truth, she was half human, fathered by a man she would never know. The combination of alien and human DNA was what caused her hair to be brown instead of red, and her eyes pink instead of green like other Tamaraneans. Unlike her mother, she possessed the ability to fly, but not the strength attributed to most people of her race. “My aunt Koriand’r calls this planet home. I was told she fled here after my mother became grand ruler.”  
“We’ve met. At least now I know you have a place to go whenever you’re discharged. I’m going to make a few calls, I’ll just be—”  
Ri’s hand shot out to grab his arm as he began walking towards the door. “Please, don’t leave.” Her eyes were once again open wide with fear. Fear of this unknown, sterilized place that reeked of antiseptic.

“Alright.” Jason lamented, patting her hand in comfort. “I won’t. What’s your name, kid?”

“Korian’ri.”

“That’s a name and a half,” he chuckled, somewhat setting her at ease. “Mind if I just call you Ri?”  
“That’s what almost everyone calls me.” she admitted.  
After dragging a chair over to the bedside and sitting in it, Jason pressed a red button on a small remote.

A nurse came in shortly, and once he explained to Ri that she was there to help with the pain, she allowed her to inject some kind of solution into the tube leading out of her right hand. In no time at all, most of the agony faded away to a dull ache, and Ri was overcome with drowsiness. Not long after that she was asleep.

Jason pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed. A familiar female voice answered.

“Kory? It’s Jason. You’re not gonna believe this.”


	2. At the Start

[Chapter 2 – At the Start]

/ 

 

“Welcome to Titans Tower.” With these words, Ri’s life would be changed in a way that she could never have foreseen. Standing there that day, in the doorway of the giant T-shaped building, she never would have imagined how important this place…these people… would become to her. She rubbed her arm uncertainly, looking over the small group of young humans standing before her. Remaining close to her aunt, she chewed on her bottom lip – a nervous habit.  
Kory squeezed Ri’s shoulder encouragingly from her side, offering a warm smile. The tall, vivacious young woman had impossibly long scarlet hair, as well as emerald eyes with no whites in them, much like Ri’s, which were bright-pink. She stood three heads taller than her niece, at an average height for Tamaranean women – Ri was much smaller, even scrawny in comparison. But this was something she’d grown used to living on the Ark Angel.  
“This is Korian’ri, my niece, fourth daughter of Tamaran.” said Kory proudly. “Korian’ri, this is my team, the Teen Titans,” Starting at the beginning of the line, she began to introduce them. “Raven, Damian, Jaime, Garfield, Tim, and Donna.”  
What were these people wearing? Bright colors, pattern ranges, and even tights… It was like a carnival. And most of them wore masks as well.  
Raven was cloaked in a dark cape, and when she pulled down her hood, Ri saw that she was actually very pretty – porcelain complexion, ebony hair, lavender eyes, and a crimson jewel glimmering in her forehead. She embodied mystery, which was very intriguing.  
Damian couldn’t have been older than ten: He stood just a couple of inches shorter than Ri, wore his dark hair a bit spiky, and a green mask hid his eyes from view. Ri recognized his uniform from the comic books Jason had brought her in the hospital – his alias was Robin and his mentor was the Batman, a member of the Justice League.  
Jaime was covered completely in some kind of blue and black alien armor. It was a bit menacing, but Ri relaxed whenever he gave a friendly smile.  
Garfield was the only other one Ri was certain wasn’t human. His skin and hair were green, and she recognized his clothing to be made of organic material, perfect for shape-shifting. Martians wore clothing like this. Perhaps he was from Mars?  
Tim was a head taller than Ri, with messy jet-black hair and a muscular build. He, too, wore a domino mask over his ocean-blue eyes. His uniform was made of tight but stretchy deep-scarlet and black material, an altered version of Robin’s outfit. He also smiled disarmingly at the banished princess.  
Donna was the only other girl. Her long, black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and stars spangled her entire red and silver uniform.  
“So if you’re related to Kory, you must be pretty strong. Mind if we see you in action?” Tim spoke up, still smiling at Ri. “We have a training facility in house.”  
Unsure, Ri looked to Kory for guidance. Her aunt nodded, leading her into another room. It was open and spacious, the walls adorned in steel plating, a control panel at one end, and blue mats covering the floor. Kory stepped up to the keyboard of the control console and typed in some codes, which brought the room to life. Holographic enemies appeared, wielding a wide range of weapons and holding their positions.  
“I’m not very strong,” Ri admitted, “but I am fast.”  
“It is alright, Korian’ri, just show them what you can do.” Kory spoke in a kind tone that Ri still wasn't used to. An uncertain feeling bloomed in the pit of her stomach. Of course she could fight well – she had been raised in the Galactic Military. What she was anxious about had nothing to do with her performance, really. Being around so many new people had put her on edge. She had never done well with change.  
As soon as Ri stepped into the center of the training room, the targets set into motion, all surrounding her at once. Lifting off of the ground, she hovered easily above them and took aim, firing bright neon-pink starbolts from her hand and eyes. Three of the ten computer generated enemies fell to this tactic. Once she landed again, she ducked to avoid a giant axe blade, sticking her leg straight out and crumpling the one who’d attacked her by shattering his knee caps. Now that she’d had a good look at the lizard like creatures, she recognized them as inhabitants of Okaara, a hostile planet in the same star system as Tamaran. Kory had chosen familiar opponents for her, since Tamaran had long been at war with Okaara; Komand’r wanted access to their advanced technology and their merciless army.  
The chain on a pair of nun chucks wrapped suddenly around Ri’s neck from behind, causing her to gasp harshly as her head was yanked backwards. Holding onto the chain, she did a back flip over the Okaaran’s shoulders, bringing him over and throwing him into another reptilian alien. Both of them vanished in a cloud of green pixels.  
After blasting holes into three more, there was only one left.  
She rushed him at full speed, hardly more than a streak of pink light as she moved, throwing hard right jabs until she’d managed to disarm the Okaaran. A powerful roundhouse kick sent him flying into the wall, where he shuddered for a moment before bursting into the same green pixels as the other simulations.  
Standing straight, Ri pulled down her left sleeve self-consciously to hide the bandages and her missing hand. “I… I am normally much faster,” she assured. “It’s just that this –” she held up the sleeve, “will take some getting used to.”  
“Faster?” Garfield blurted out, his eyes wide. “Dude, we could hardly see you!”  
Kory crossed her arms and smiled proudly when Ri glanced at her. “You did very well, Korian’ri.”  
“I’ll say,” Tim piped up, walking toward Ri. He held out his hand to her. Remembering what Jason had taught her about this gesture, she accepted his hand and shook it once. “Welcome to the Teen Titans.”

//

Tightening a few screws into place, Ri set her newest invention down and admired her craftsmanship. A hand made completely of gleaming titanium, with wires and a few pointed spires sticking out of the bottom where it would connect with her flesh at the wrist. The technology the Titans had access to was impressive, and easy to figure out after working for so many years with enhanced alien software: She’d hardly even unpacked before setting out to make the blue prints she drew up in the hospital a reality. If all went well, she’d be back to full functionality.  
“Hey, Kory said you’d be in here.” Tim strode in, the door sliding closed behind him. “Are you hungry? We ordered pizza.”  
“What is pizza?” Ri inquired, turning on her stool to face him as he approached the work bench.  
Chuckling in surprise, Tim leaned against the table. “Oh, man, you haven’t lived until you’ve had pizza. There are so many awesome things you don’t know about Earth yet. What are you working on?”  
Turning back to the bench, Ri lifted the hand to show him, allowing him to hold and examine it. “Needles to connect the nerves; smart idea.” he nodded in approval, turning the metal limb over in his gloved hands. “And lightweight as well. That’s important. Have you tried it out yet?”  
He handed it back to her as she tucked some loose strands of dark hair behind her pierced ears. “No,” she shook her head. “I was about to, though. Moment of truth time.” Taking a deep breath, she set the hand down and unwrapped the bandages on her arm. She’d never get used to seeing a stump instead of a limb. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to now. Picking the hand back up, she positioned it properly and shoved the needles into her skin until the cool metal met her wrist joint.  
Even Tim flinched. Ri gritted her teeth against the shock of pain that rushed up her arm. When it faded, she dared to try flexing her new fingers. It worked just as if she’d never lost it in the first place – she told her brain to move and it moved. Eyes widening, Ri jumped off of her stool and grinned brightly. “It works!!” Unable to contain her joy, she began levitating a few inches off of the ground.  
“That’s great!” Tim exclaimed.  
Activating a small switch on the side of her metal attachment, Ri managed to get her feet back on the floor. The metal shimmered for a moment before matching her skin tone perfectly, making it look like a hand of flesh. “And the camouflage feature is functional. Check it out.” Holding it up to Tim, Ri continued smiling. Hesitant for a moment, Tim slowly lifted his own hand and pressed it flat against hers.  
His eyes widened a bit beneath his mask in surprise. “It… it feels so real. It’s incredible – you have to show me how you did this.” he spoke excitedly.  
“I’d be happy to.” Ri nodded, letting her hand fall back to her side. “If anyone on the team gets hurt and needs an amputation, this could prove invaluable. Want to take a look at my design?” She moved back to the work bench and unrolled a scroll of paper with several sketches on it. Tim came to her side and looked intently at the blueprints.  
“Wow, Ri, you’re amazing with technology.”  
“I’m actually a mechanic, too,” Ri shrugged modestly. “The youngest in my field.”  
Smiling warmly, Tim glanced over at her. “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?”


	3. Academic Politics

[Chapter 3 – Academic Politics]

 

 

 

Leaning very close to the mirror above her white carved dresser, Ri carefully put the contact lens into place. Blinking a few times, she made sure it was aligned properly. Tim had designed these specialty lenses for her – they changed her irises from pink to a shimmery blue, and filled in the rest with white like a human’s eyes. Stunned, she stared at her reflection for a long time, gently removing some chocolate-brown hair away from the sides of her face. They were so realistic…  
A knock at her door snapped her out of it. “Ri? Kory’s here. She says to hurry or you’ll be late.” Raven’s voice came from outside in the hall.  
“I’m almost ready.” Ri called in reply, but waited for the sound of retreating footsteps before moving. Grabbing the navy-blue blazer from its hanger on the back of her closet door, she shrugged it on. Crossfire Academy’s uniform consisted of a navy blazer with the school’s sigil over its breast pocket, a matching blue skirt, a white button up collared shirt, tied with a crimson ribbon around the neck, and white tights. Pinning a small section of her hair up, she left the rest to fall in a long curtain to her waist.  
Before she left the room, Ri made sure that she had the pink cellular device Kory had given her. Tim was still teaching her how to use most of its features, but she knew how to call and send text messages.  
After one last glance in the mirror, she shoved her phone into the pink messenger bag she’d picked out only a few days ago and headed out into the corridor.  
The common room was bustling with activity while everyone got ready for school. Damian, Jaime, and Tim were all dressed in the boys’ uniform for Crossfire, which was basically the same as the girls’, only with pants instead of a skirt and a tie instead of a ribbon. Raven was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, eyes closed. Her morning meditation was undisturbed by the group of teenagers rushing around getting book bags and scarfing down what they could for breakfast.  
Ri herself felt much too nervous to eat anything, so she sat down on the curved sofa near Raven. For the past month she’d been studying human culture – watching television shows, reading magazines and novels – so that she might fit into Earth society, but was she really ready for this?  
Anxiously, her foot began tapping. Raven opened one lavender eye and looked at her. “Do you mind? That is very distracting.”  
“Oh – I’m so sorry.” Ri willed herself to sit still. “Don’t you have school today?”  
The empath shrugged beneath her cloak. “I don’t go to school. Kory and I have an understanding.”  
That was all that was said before she closed her eyes again and went back to meditating. Deciding not to bother her again, Ri pulled her phone out and sent a “good morning” text message to Jason. He probably wasn’t awake yet – they’d stayed up talking long into the night, which had become normal for them lately. It was difficult for Ri to fall asleep without first speaking to him for a while. He was like her security blanket. Though she was settling in and getting along very well with her new house mates, Jason was the first human she’d met, and a bond existed there that she couldn’t quite explain. He seemed to sense it, too; he called her as much as she called him.  
“Nice,” Tim leaned over the back of the couch and pointed to Ri’s bag with a grin. “I’m assuming this is a joke?”  
On the front of the bag was a neon-green flying saucer with words above it that read: “I Want to Believe”. Smiling wryly and setting her phone aside, Ri nodded. “It’s supposed to be ironic. I don’t think Aunt Kory saw the humor in it, though.”  
“She’s kind of sensitive about the subject.” Tim hopped over and landed on the cushion beside her. “Hey – the contacts look great! They make your eyes look really pretty.”  
Feeling her face flush, Ri looked away. “I mean – not that your actual eyes aren’t pretty, of course,” Tim stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. “Ignore me, I’m a jerk.” He sighed in defeat.  
Giving a small giggle, Ri met his gaze again. “You’re not a jerk. Thank you for the compliment.”  
Just then, a blinding flash left her in a brief daze.  
“You look most adorable!” Kory gushed, pulling a small photo free from the top of her purple instant camera. “Korian’ri, stand up so I can see your entire outfit.”  
Sighing, Ri obeyed. Kory smiled happily, taking another picture. After blinking away the hazy whiteness, Ri grabbed her bag and shouldered it.  
“Kory, we should probably let them get going. It’s already seven-thirty.” A tall, strongly-built young man with black hair and a sharply chiseled face placed his hand on Ri’s aunt’s shoulder with a grin. “Can’t have her late on her first day.”  
“Thank you, Uncle Dick,” Ri sighed in relief at being spared more photos before hugging both of them and heading towards the door. The others followed close behind, in varying stages of awareness – Damian was alert as ever, adjusting his backpack over his narrow shoulders; Jaime was only half-awake, a piece of buttered toast hanging from his mouth as he struggled to button his jacket; Tim seemed to be a bit distracted, but he remained in step with Ri and offered one of his disarming smiles when he saw her looking at him.  
Outside was bright and clear, though an autumn chill hung in the air, cutting between towering glass buildings, which reflected the sunlight in every direction. It was more dazzling every time Ri set eyes upon it, almost as if the city was made of diamonds. But it was one thing to see it from a ninth floor window at the tower, and something else completely to experience it in person, walking among the throngs of civilians and finding herself surrounded by impossibly tall structures.  
It was all so exciting.  
She’d only been allowed out a few times before now, and never unsupervised: She first needed to learn how to behave appropriately, hence her study of human society over the past few weeks. Starting school meant that she was now allowed to come and go as she pleased, which was in itself a freedom Ri had never known.  
“This is where we part ways. See you later, nerds.” Donna came running past them once they reached a busy cross walk. Instead of a uniform of any kind, she was dressed in a pair of jeans and a red tank top with a silver star on the front of it. Smiling over her shoulder at her teammates, she waved to them as she crossed the street. Her long, ebony hair had been braided back away from her face in a style Ri had never seen her wear before.  
Glancing in slight confusion at Tim, Ri was about to inquire why she’d gone in a different direction than the others. But he seemed to understand her uncertainty and spoke up, “Donna goes to the public school – Bullet City High. Crossfire Academy is a private school.”  
“Is there a significant difference?” Ri inquired curiously.  
“Private schools cost money,” Jaime answered as they continued down the sidewalk. “A lot of money.”  
“Well, yes, but can you really put a price on quality education?” Damian asked.  
“Apparently they can,” Tim interjected, “a steep one.”

 

A few minutes later, they turned into a courtyard enclosed by an elaborate gate. A large, intricately carved building was situated at the center of the property. Its many windows gleamed under the morning sun and the glass double doors in front were open so that students in the same uniform Ri and the boys wore could file inside.  
“I’ll show you to the office so you can get your class schedule.” Tim offered, holding his arm out to her as they ascended the front steps. Accepting it, Ri followed.   
Inside was just as grand as the exterior – the walls were carved mahogany, a fancy staircase led up to a second story, and the floors were all polished linoleum. Tim directed Ri to a door just to the left of the entrance, with the words “Main Office” painted across its window.  
A pleasant middle-aged woman with a bun in her graying hair sat behind a counter, typing away at a computer until she noticed her two visitors. Smiling, she adjusted her glasses. “Oh, good morning, Timothy! How can I help you?”  
“I have a new student for you, Mrs. Bryant. This is Ri Anders.”  
“Oh, welcome to Crossfire, Miss Anders. She’s a pretty one, isn’t she?” Mrs. Bryant beamed happily as she stood from her seat. Tim cleared his throat, cheeks flushing a bit as he nodded.  
“Well, you’re in capable hands now.” He turned to Ri. “If you need me, I’m just a text away.”  
Smiling in return, Ri nodded and thanked him as he left. 

“All right, Miss Anders, I’m going to need you to fill out a few forms while I take copies of your ID and birth certificate.”  
Fortunately, Dick had been able to forge all the necessary documents, as well as fake transcripts from another school. All Ri had to do was hand them over. She’d chosen art and auto mechanics as elective classes, since they were two things she was very good at, as well as enjoyed.  
When everything was settled, Ri had been given a schedule and a map of the school. Mrs. Bryant was showing her down various hallways to her first period class, which was AP World History. Ri would have to study very hard if she was going to make decent grades in a subject she knew nothing about. Then again, she had always been a quick study.  
Stopping just outside one of the many doors lining the corridor, Mrs. Bryant knocked once before opening it. Inside was a class of about thirty-two students seated at identical desks, and a female teacher with long blonde hair dressed in a frilly white long-sleeved dress shirt and a black pencil skirt.  
“Miss Simmons, a new transfer student for your class.” Mrs. Bryant spoke up politely.  
“How wonderful, please come in.” The young teacher smiled kindly and beckoned for Ri to enter and stand beside her. “Why don’t you introduce yourself?”  
“My name is Ri Anders.” Ri spoke as clearly as she could, though her stomach flooded with nerves. All eyes were on her, but she located a friendly face among them, at least – Jaime sat towards the back, lifting his hand in greeting and giving her a reassuring smile, which made her feel better.  
“What is that ridiculous accent?” a girl in the front row spoke up with a snicker. And suddenly Ri’s stomach hurt all over again, her face flushing with embarrassment. She looked at the girl who’d spoken – red hair, freckles, and brown eyes. She was very pretty, despite the sneer on her face.  


“I am from the Ukraine.” Ri explained with an apologetic smile. “English isn’t my first language.” Just for the sake of her cover, Ri had studied the Ukrainian war zone and learned how to fluently speak their language. “I moved here recently to be with my aunt.”  
“Are you sure you’re not some kind of terrorist?” the same girl inquired with a hateful smirk.  
Miss Simmons gave her a sharp glare. “That’s enough, Elisabeth. Apologize. Now.”  
Rolling her eyes, the girl muttered a completely insincere apology as Ri passed by on her way to the only available desk in the room. A few others laughed quietly at her as she slid into her seat.  
Cheeks heating up, Ri hung her bag over the back of her chair and did her best to keep her head down for the rest of the morning classes.  
Before long, a bell rang to release the students for a one hour lunch break. Ri removed a small mint-green pouch covered in pink roses from her school bag and opened it. Inside was a carefully wrapped sandwich, a small bag of chips, a plastic pouch of grapes, and a box of apple juice, which had become Ri’s favorite beverage since coming to Earth. Ri had made the frilly lunch bag herself, but Kory had packed it with food for her this morning. Such an act of affection was still foreign to a princess who’d been raised as a solider, who must be self-sufficient in every way from an early age.  
Once she’d set up her food on her desktop, someone slid into the seat in front of her. Glancing up, her smile faded slowly away. “Would you like to share my lunch?” she attempted a kind gesture, but Elisabeth scoffed in disgust.  
“Uh, no – I don’t want any of your gross peasant food.” She held up her hand before Ri could respond. “You just need to listen, okay, freak? I don’t know how things are in Ukraine, but here there’s a certain social pyramid that everyone has to follow, got it?”  
Lifting her slender brows, Ri uncertainly set her sandwich down. “I don’t recall studying that whenever I was learning about American culture.” she admitted.  
“That’s because it’s high school culture, you dweeb. Let me make it easy for you to understand: My friends and I, we’re at the top of the pyramid. You can consider yourself directly at the bottom.”  
“That doesn’t seem quite fair.” Ri frowned. “I haven’t done anything for you to treat me like this.”  
“God, you are a dunce.” Elisabeth groaned. “Just stay in your place and we won’t have any trouble.”  
“Ri, I was wondering if you wanted to eat lunch with me. The company in here is less than desirable.” Tim was suddenly standing in the aisle between desks. He held out his hand to Ri, who quickly gathered all of her lunch back into its bag and stood up to follow him out.  
“Timmy – wait, we’re still on for Friday, aren’t we?” Elisabeth called in a sweet voice that Ri had yet to hear from her.  
Glancing back at her with a harsh expression, Tim replied, “No, I have plans with someone else.” Then he placed his arm around Ri’s shoulder as they exited the room.

“Sorry about that. I had no idea how nasty she could be.” Tim sat down out in the hallway, leaving a space between himself and Damian for Ri. On the outside of their little gathering was Jaime, who’d, apparently, told Tim about the way the other girls were treating Ri.  
“Thank you for coming to my rescue. I’m not sure why she was being so awful to me – I tried my best to be nice. I didn’t do anything to her.”  
“You’re pretty; that’s all the reason she needs.” Jaime spoke up in between bites of the home made burrito he’d brought with him from the tower. “Sometimes girls get jealous and act loco.”  
This only served to trouble Ri further. “But she is also pretty – why should she be jealous of me?”  
“Because she’s insecure about how she looks.” Tim explained. “So putting down other people makes her feel better. More superior. Surely in the military that sort of thing happens a lot?”  
Thinking back, Ri did see a bit of a comparison. “Well, yes, but in the military there were set ranks, each demanding a certain amount of respect. Whereas here…Well, I guess I’m just not used to how things work.”  
“You will get there, don’t worry.” Damian said suddenly, much to everyone’s surprise. “Until then, you can eat your lunch and spend your free periods with us. No one should bother you.”  
Ri couldn’t suppress her smile. “Thank you. All three of you. I’m not used to having people look out for me.”  
“That’s what teammates are for. I wasn’t joking about having plans this weekend, though; how’d you like to go see your first movie in a theater?” Tim inquired hopefully. “Of course, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I just thought you might enjoy the experience.”  
Eyes lighting up, Ri brought her hands together in delight. “I would love to!” she exclaimed.

 

/ / 

 

“Hey, bright eyes, civvies agree with you.”  
Ri turned around with a bright smile. “Jason, what are you doing here?” After descending the school’s front steps, she approached his motorcycle, parked on the curb.  
“Just came to see how your first day went. Why don’t you hop on and you can tell me over that ice cream I promised you last week?” The second Robin was dressed in a leather jacket, jeans, a white t-shirt, and black sunglasses. He wore the jacket almost every time Ri saw him, and seemed to ride his bike everywhere.  
“That sounds great,” Ri responded, adjusting her bag across her torso and hopping onto the back of the red and black motor bike. Jason placed a helmet over her head and fastened the straps beneath her chin for her before getting on himself and revving the engine of a few times.  
“Hold on tight, kid.” he warned before taking off.  
In the exhaust left in their wake stood an uncertain-looking Tim, a frown very clear on his face. “Try not to look so down, esse,” Jaime came up from behind and put a hand on Tim’s shoulder. “She likes you, I can tell. Jason was the first human she met, though, so of course she’s going to hang out with him. Don’t let it worry you.”  
“I hope you’re right.” Tim sighed. “I’m just afraid that she might like him more.”


	4. Rookie Mistake

[Chapter 4 – Rookie Mistake]

 

/   
/

“This is /awesome/!” Ri exclaimed happily, flipping backwards in the air with one graceful motion. She was garbed in one of Kory’s old uniforms, which she’d spray-painted timber-pink and added smooth amethyst gems to. It consisted of a long sleeved midriff shirt, a pair of tight shorts, and pink and white thigh-high boots. “I finally get to be part of the action!”  
Dick had been meticulously training and testing her for three months, and now she was finally ready to go into the field. Excitement threatened to bubble over if she had to wait one more moment – her happiness caused her to float all around the common room, unable to land.  
“Now I know you’ve had military combat training, and you might need to use it. Just remember, we fight to subdue, not to kill.” Nightwing explained, his arms crossed over the dark-red bat symbol on his broad chest. Though he wore a domino mask that hid his eyes, Ri could tell how grave and serious he was being.  
Settling down, she lowered herself back to the floor. “I’ll be careful.” she promised. Kory approached from behind, pink fabric draped over one arm, her hand full of pins.  
“Hold still,” she lightly laughed, “so that I do not stick you.” Then she set to work finishing up the alterations of Ri’s new uniform. She pinned up some loose fabric in the back, then began sewing it up.  
“You are so small… I could almost make another uniform out of the excess fabric. Perhaps I will – having two could be useful.” Kory spoke with a mouthful of sewing pins, more to herself than to her niece.  
Frowning slightly, Ri stood very still, as Kory requested. By human standards, she was fairly petite. By Tamaranean standards, she was downright scrawny. But what she lacked in brawn she more than made up for in brains and speed. Which was how she’d ended up being the youngest zero-g mechanic in recent history.  
Kory adjusted Ri’s arms, making her hold them out straight so that she could alter the sleeves. “I know that this is your first mission, and you are very excited, but remember that you must be cautious. Remain with Tim at all times.”  
Dick interjected here. “It’s strictly a covert operation. Do not engage unless necessary. Just scout and report back, understood?”  
Ri nodded as Kory finished up her sewing. She folded the excess textile neatly and draped it over the back of the sofa. Replacing the needles, pins, and thread into a purple tackle box, she closed it and picked it up, heading for her bedroom to put it away.  
Now that her clothing properly fit, Ri felt even better than before. She was practically humming with anticipation. It had felt like ages she’d been staying behind while the rest of the team went out on missions, doing good for the innocent of the world. She desperately wanted to good things, too.  
“Come on, you’ve had the TV all afternoon, dude! Share!” Garfield and Damian were currently on the couch, having a fight over the remote control.  
“I’m in the middle of a documentary of the fall of the Chinese Empire. Your video games can wait.” Damian informed his green skinned peer, holding the remote just out of reach. “Maybe you should watch it, too. You might actually learn something.”  
“You and your stupid war documentaries.” Garfield grumbled unhappily, slouching down into the cushions with his arms crossed. “Just because I’m homeschooled doesn’t mean I don’t learn anything.”  
“That’s enough.” Dick warned, folding his arms over his chest and giving the two a stern look. “Both of you have homework to finish before this should even be an issue.”  
Groaning irritably, Damian turned the TV off and both he and Gar made their way back to their rooms. Passing by them, heading for the common room, was Tim, all suited up as Red Robin, with his cowl pulled down around his shoulders so that his face and hair were visible.  
Excitedly, Ri approached him. “Well? What do you think?” With this she did a little twirl, followed smoothly by an aerial back flip.  
“You look great!” he beamed, but then cleared his throat, “I mean, you look ready to go on the job.”  
“About a smooth as a piece of sandpaper.” Dick nudged Tim’s shoulder with a smirk, but the younger brother ignored him by pulling his cowl up. 

“I already briefed Ri on the mission. If you’d been here on time, you’d know what you were supposed to be doing.” Dick said seriously.   
“Wait, we’re not going to send her out there as “Ri”, are we? She has a secret identity to protect now.” Tim waved off Dick’s scolding, turning to face Ri again. “What do you want your hero name to be?”  
“My hero name...?”  
“Yes, Korian’ri. My hero name is Starfire. I decided to use the literal translation of my actual name, Koriand’r.” Kory returned to the common room and placed a hand on her niece’s shoulder.  
“Well…” Ri thought for a moment. “Korian’ri in English means Starfall. And with the way I came to live on this planet, it fits pretty well. So Starfall it is, I guess.”

 

/  
/  
/

 

Ri filled Tim in on the details of the mission as they made their way to Midtown Bank & Trust, where an informant had tipped Dick off to a huge robbery. Of course, none of the action was going to be Ri’s on her first night – Nightwing, Starfire, and Raven were in position to attack as soon as Ri and Tim had scoped the situation.  
Landing silently on the stone rooftop, Ri crouched low and made her way over to the gleaming ball of glass – it was a called a skylight, Jason had once told her. Pressing her back to the cold panes, she glanced down at the scene playing out inside the building.  
Several men wearing gas masks were dragging large sacks of currency from a giant steel vault, which hung wide open like a gaping mouth. Scattered around were the frozen bodies of security guards. Blood spattered the shiny linoleum floor, pooling in certain areas around the guards.  
Ri felt her stomach heave, but she was able to calm herself and look back up and over to Tim. She waved for him to come to her side. Once he was there, he took a look for himself and frowned. “Looks like Scarecrow and Cryptin. That intel Nightwing got was legit. We should radio this.”  
Nodding, Ri moved closer to the edge of the skylight to get a better view while Tim spoke over the comms to everyone.  
A brief flicker in the moonlight on the surface of the glass caught Ri’s attention, but before she had time to process what she saw, she shouted for Tim to get down and shoved him as far away from her as she could.  
Something was charging her, something large, hairy, and heavy. Its dark fur blocked out Ri’s sight – she could hear the shattering of glass, could feel the sensation of falling, and then the wind was completely knocked out of her as she hit the ground with a thud. Whatever the beast was got off of her now, and circled her like a predator. It had horns like a bull, wool like a bison, and a head like a buffalo, but it was no naturally made creature. It was almost as if it had been.. thrown together with spare pieces and parts of other animals.  
“Looks like Chauncey found us some company,” a man’s distorted, dark voice spoke from somewhere about Ri. She twisted, trying to sit up and look around, but her spine was in complete protest after that 30 foot fall.  
“One of the Teen Titans,” said another, more snakelike voice, who sounded disinterested as he could be. “Although, she’s much smaller than she was before.”  
“That’s because she’s not Starfire, Scarecrow.” The first voice again. So if the smooth, calm and bored tone belonged to Scarecrow, than the other must be Cryptin.  
And that would mean that whatever “Chauncey” was meant to be, it was a cryptid created by this man.  
Footsteps sounded all around her. A dark shadow momentarily blocked out the blinding emergency lights in the ceiling. He crouched over her, tilting his head curiously like an interested child. He wore black robes, as well as a hood to cover his face. But Ri could see his twisted grin. She swallowed hard and prepared to force herself into action.  
“Who are you, little one?” Cryptin inquired, taking some of Ri’s long brown hair into his unnaturally long pale fingers. Ri shuddered.  
“I’m Starfall.” With this, she rolled away, getting herself into a crouching position, ready to pounce at any moment.  
Cryptin remained crouched where she’d been lying a moment before and chuckled, an unsettling sound. “Well, Miss Starfall, I’m afraid we have a bit of a problem here. I came to steal this money, and you wish to stop me. And, well, I just can’t have that. It’s bad for business, so – Crane, why don’t you play with our guest while I see to it that the rest of the stuff is loaded up?”  
Cryptin stood and walked away, but taking his place almost immediately was the Scarecrow, ragged and brown, with a horrifying, creepy sack mask tied around his head. He was so bent and lanky in the way that he moved, he very well could have been stuffed with straw.  
But his gloved hand was rough when it snatched Ri’s arm and held it out straight. “Tell me, sweetheart, what is it that you’re afraid of?” He pulled out a vial filled with lime liquid, and pressed the needle into Ri’s soft skin before she could pull out of his grasp.  
Where was her team?? Surely Tim had alerted them to what had happened already. Why wasn’t anyone there to help?  
Well, being alone was something she was quite used to. So if no one else was going to assist, she’d handle it herself. Though she felt somewhat dizzy, she ignored the burn of the toxin running through her veins, and charged straight at Scarecrow. He was clearly taken by surprise – he offered no resistance as he was shoved to the floor. Ri pinned his legs with her knees and his arms with her elbows while uncapping another vial from his belt. “No, let’s see what you’re afraid of.” Then she jammed the needle into his neck.  
The burning must have hit right away, because immediately he started convulsing and screaming hysterically about a place called the Asylum. Tossing the now empty needle aside, Ri lit her hands and eyes with glowing pink starbolts, ready to take on Cryptin next.   
But between her and the creator of real life cryptids stood about fifteen beefed up lackeys. So she remembered her training with Jason and in the military – when outnumbered, decommission as many as possible in the quickest way.   
Throwing starbolts left and right in precise patterns that she’d practiced down to the letter helped her clear through about ten of the men. Feeling her energy fading fast, she rushed at one of the masked lackeys and shattered his jaw with a swift, strong uppercut. Another she zipped behind and roundhouse kicked across the lobby. She set her sights on one of the remaining three, she was about to take off at top speed – but something wasn’t right.  
The gas masks were distorted somehow – they shifted and morphed into something else. Tamaranean royal guard helmets hid their faces from view now. Breaking into a cold sweat, Ri dropped to her knees, gasping for air. The guardsmen stood aside to allow a slender figure through. A flowing skirt made of black silk brushed past Ri’s face as she collapsed entirely to the floor, unable to move. A familiar voice made her stomach ache with terror. “You simply refuse to die, do you not, Korian’ri?”

Darkness consumed her then, along with a distant shout from Tim – “She’s down! Guys, Starfall is down!”


	5. Chosen

[Chapter 5 – Chosen]

 

//  
/

“I can’t believe you let them take her!” Jason bellowed, grabbing Tim up by his shoulders. “She was your responsibility – why didn’t you have her back down there?”

“I tried,” Tim shrugged out of Jason’s hold and walked past him to the large holographic screen that had come to life in the Tower’s common room. He keyed in a few codes on the wrist computer hidden by his glove and suddenly everyone was watching feed from the mission. At first Tim was thrown aside as a Cryptid overran Ri, taking her down into the bank and right into the hands of the two most notorious villains in Bullet City.  
“As soon as she was injected with the fear toxin, she started giving off high waves of radiation. I couldn’t get close enough to help her while she fought.” Tim explained.  
“That is a natural response for a Tamaranean,” Kory chimed in sadly, “it is a defense mechanism against poison.”  
“Then that explains how she held her own for so long against the toxin.” Tim mused quietly, frowning as the footage played on and Ri collapsed. He was already feeling incredibly guilty without Jason’s criticism; how could he have let her first mission go so wrong? It was only meant to be recon, for Christ’s sake! One thing being Robin for so long had taught him was that missions take unexpected turns, but rarely was it a worst case scenario like this.  
Unable to stomach watching the gasmasked henchmen drag her away, Tim turned off the holoscreen and made a fist in frustration. “We’ll get her back if we have to turn the city upside down, I promise, Kory.” With this he turned to his adopted brother. “Jason, can you spare the Outlaws to help with the search? We need to find her as soon as possible – there’s no telling what Cryptin and Crow will do to her.”  
Nodding, Jason slid on his helmet. “What are we waiting for?”

/ / /   
/

“Moty’a!!”   
All at once the breath rushed back into Ri’s body, her voice an alarmed gasp. As soon as her eyes opened, they flashed pink and continued glowing as she turned her head in every direction, trying to get a handle on her surroundings.  
“She’s coming down from the fear toxin.” A raspy voice spoke just out of her line of sight. When she tested her limbs, she found herself strapped to a cold metal table, unable to move besides wiggling her fingers and twisting her head. A moment passed before cold breath passed over her face and Scarecrow came into view. “Now, now – cooperation is key. Behave yourself and I won’t make your nightmares real again.”  
Ri tensed whenever he held up a needled syringe, and winced as it pressed into her flesh. He drew three vials of blood, leaving her feeling light-headed and weak. She slumped against the table, the belts keeping her in place giving a bit of slack.  
“This should be enough.” Scarecrow said decisively. “Just out of curiosity, what did you see?” His brows rose as he looked back at Ri.  
“My m-mother…” she breathed quietly, struggling to remain conscious.

 

“Hmm.” Scarecrow exited to an adjacent room, just on the other side of a two-way mirror. Cryptin stood with his hands folded behind his back, watching he girl with mild interest.  
“She is a unique specimen. Her DNA samples will serve me well.” He turned to his partner, drawing the blinds over the glass window. “Half human, half alien. It isn’t often I have the chance to study a live subject so thoroughly.”  
“I realize the potential of such rare blood, but I’ve been thinking on a larger scale. She could be exactly what we’re looking for.” Scarecrow spoke as he stored Starfall’s blood work into one of the alphabetized metal drawers that lined the wall.  
Cryptin frowned uncertainly. “How do you know?”  
“When you’re as acquainted with fear as I am, you recognize the darkness in even the brightest souls.” Scarecrow informed serenely. “Shall I begin the interrogation?”  
His frown turning into a twisted grin, Cryptin reopened the blinds and nodded. “Regardless of whether or not you are right about her, use whatever means necessary to obtain the information we need.”  
“Of course.” With this, Scarecrow returned to the other room, shutting the door behind him. “Wakey, wakey, little girl. Let’s you and I have a little chat.”

Ri’s eyes opened and slowly focused as she tilted her head to the side.  
“I want to know something – and you’re going to give me the answers that I need.” He pulled a pocket knife from beneath his cloak and flipped it open. “Or you will regret it.”  
Dragging a metal chair over to the side of the table, he took a seat. “I already know that the Diadem of Apokolips was given by the Justice League to the Teen Titans for safekeeping. What I need you to tell me – is where are you keeping it?”  
Ri was unresponsive for a long moment. “The… Diadem of Apokolips?” she repeated uncertainly. “I don’t know what that is.”  
“That would be the wrong answer.” Scarecrow shook his head almost sadly. “I did warn you.” He maneuvered Ri’s arm out of its restraint, turning it palm-up and straightening it. Then he pressed the cold tip into her porcelain forearm.  
Her scream filled the room and echoed as he etched the letter “T” into her flesh. Warm liquid surfaced and began dripping to the tiled floor. Try as she might, even with all of her strength, she could not free her arm from his death grip.  
“Now I’m going to ask you again.” Coldly, he gazed down at her, unaffected by the shrill shriek that still seemed to reverberate throughout the small chamber. “Where is the Diadem being held?”  
“I—I don’t know!” yelled Ri, left breathless by the pain throbbing through her arm. “I don’t know!”  
“Let’s see if you’ll remember after a few more letters.” Scarecrow set to carving into her skin again.  
Agony tore through her, ripping another scream from her throat that could have shaken the walls. Her arm shook violently in his hold, but he continued carving away, until an entire pool of blood had formed at his feet. She just kept screaming, and he just kept cutting. When he was finally finished, after several painful minutes, the word “TROQ” was engraved into her arm.  
He dropped her bloody limb at last and left her sobbing as she cradled it against her chest. “Now cooperate, or I’ll do the other arm.” He brandished the small blade covered in her blood.  
Just then, the wall on the other side of the table blew out, crumbling to pieces in a cloud of dust. Jumping back, Scarecrow shielded his eyes from the debris with his arm. Blue Beetle, Red Robin, and Wonder Girl rushed in. Immediately, Blue Beetle set to work, transforming his arm into a blade and cutting Ri free from her restraints. Slumping forward against him, Ri’s blank eyes rose to his face.  
“Blue…” her voice was as weak as her body.  
“It’s all good now, chica. We’ve got you.” he assured, gathering her up into his arms.  
Red Robin’s jaw set firmly once he saw all of the blood. He drew a birdarang and aimed for Scarecrow, but Donna grabbed his arm. “We’ve got to go. Ri’s hurt bad – Nightwing said it was strictly a rescue mission.”  
Reluctantly, Tim stood down  
“Red, we need to disappear.” Blue Beetle said earnestly.  
“Right.” Tim threw down a smoke pellet to cover their exit, and then they were gone.

Scarecrow watched with a quiet disdain as they vanished, and Cryptin entered the room with a sigh. “Well, that’s a nuisance. If she is who you’ve chosen, then to bring our nightmarish reality to fruition, we need that girl. Whatever darkness lies inside of her. And as much as I hate dealing with assassins, at this point contacting the Court may be our only option.”


	6. Downtime

[Chapter 6 – Downtime]

 

/  
/

 

Ri pulled her blazer sleeve down over the bandages wrapping the length of her forearm before taking the note taped to her locker door in hand. Exasperatedly, she read it:  
/Welcome back, Russian slut./   
“Ukrainian, you dumb bitch.” she mumbled to herself, crumpling the paper up in her fist until it was in a wad and tossing it directly into the nearest trash can. She didn’t even need to wonder who’d written it – aside from Elisabeth and her two best friends Courtney and Samantha, no one else in school seemed to have a problem with Ri. But it had long stopped bothering her; she had an abundance of more important things on her mind, which left no room for trivial high school feuds.  
After retrieving all of the books and folders that she would need for her next two classes from her locker, she picked up the bright-orange plastic pumpkin she’d placed momentarily at her feet and started down the hallway. It was painted to resemble a jack-o-lantern and filled with homemade bat shaped brownies, wrapped individually in cellophane and tied off with pink ribbons. It had taken nearly all night to make and package them, but Ri didn’t mind. She was learning so much from the kind teachers and staff at Crossfire, and she felt that the least she could do was bring them some sweets. Fortunately, the one teaching her to cook was not Kory – tutorials on YouTube and Google Recipes had been life-saving, as Kory tended to set fire to anything she attempted to make.  
Knocking softly on the door before opening it, Ri entered the Biology lab with a bright smile. A tall, lanky and thin man sat at the teacher’s desk in the front of the room, round spectacles resting on his nose. Dr. Crane always looked tired and a bit haggard, his shirts slightly wrinkled and his shoes never polished, but he was very kind and patient as an instructor. Ri especially enjoyed his class, as she tended to learn much more than just biology. He had stories upon stories about his time as a wartime medic, a student at many prestigious universities, and a world traveler.  
He had this way of passing on his knowledge to students that was absolutely fascinating, and enthralled even the most absent minded of his class. Time spent in the lab was Ri’s favorite during the school day.  
“You’ve returned to school, Miss Anders. Welcome back. How are you feeling?” Adjusting his glasses, Professor Crane stood up to greet her.  
“Much better, thank you.” Approaching the desk, still smiling, Ri dug out one of the bats and extended it to him. “I made Halloween brownies for the teachers.”  
“And this would be why you’re my favorite student.” Winking at her, he accepted the treat with thanks. “Did you enjoy your trip home at least? I was sorry to hear that you caught a virus while there. But I’m glad to have you back. You always pose the most interesting questions.”  
“It was… interesting.” Ri laughed a bit nervously. Dick had told the headmaster of the school that she’d gone back to Ukraine to visit family and fell ill while she was there, to explain her prolonged absence from school. It had only taken about a week for her to recover from the fear gas exposure, but the wounds on her arm had become infected, giving her a fever and all kinds of complications, which had kept her in the Tower’s infirmary for another week and a half.  
Fortunately, Tim had taken diligent notes in the classes that he shared with Ri, and gathered up all of her assignments for her so that she would not fall behind. School had become very important to Ri, and she wanted to keep her grades up, so she very much appreciated this.  
“It’s good to be back.”

 

/  
/  
/

 

Tapping her pen lightly against the page, Ri tried to think of something –/anything/ – to write. The little pink bear seated on top of the pen looked at her with judgmental blue gem eyes, as if it knew that her term paper was due in a few short weeks and she hadn’t even chosen a topic as of yet. Sighing heavily, Ri set the pen down and ran her hands stressfully through her hair, wrestling it into a long ponytail.  
A soft knock at her bedroom door drew her from her computer desk, where she’d been seated for hours, trying to find something she felt passionately enough about to research. Sliding the automatic door open with the push of a lightswitch-like button beside it, she came face-to-chest with Kory, who held folded blue fabric in her arms.  
“I finally finished it.” Smiling, Kory held up the fabric, which turned out to be a sapphire-blue dress with a white collar that had a small blue jewel at its base, a white pinafore apron attached to it with a bow in the back, and large blue diamond shapes embroidered onto each of the sleeves.  
Ri felt the breath leave her body for a moment. It had been so long since she’d seen her uniform like this. In the six months since coming to this planet, she had only once laid eyes on it – shortly after getting out of the hospital, she found it among her personal effects, torn, burned, and all but ripped to pieces. Whenever she found out that Kory could sew, she’d begged her to undertake repairing the uniform.  
It was an item of clothing that Ri had worked many years to obtain the right to wear. Only officers of the Sapphire Rank in the Tamaran Military were allowed this robe. The patches on the sleeves were symbols of her status.  
“Oh, Kory, thank you,” Ri finally found her voice again and took the dress carefully into her hands. “It looks brand new.”  
“Try it on so I can make sure it doesn’t need to be altered.”  
Closing the door behind her, Kory stepped into the room. Ri pulled off her sweater dress and black thigh-high stockings and tossed them onto the bed, holding her arms up so that Kory could help her put on the dress. It was a bit loose around the waist, but otherwise fit perfectly. Turning to the floor length mirror on her closet door, Ri stared at her reflection, subconsciously holding her breath. It was like the past had literally crashed into her and taken her breath away. Seeing herself this way brought tears to her eyes, which flowed down her face.  
As much as she loved her new life here in Bullet City, she missed the Ark Angel and all of the friends she had made there. It was only natural – she’d spent most of her life on that ship.  
Kory smiled sadly, taking Ri’s shoulder to turn her around and then wrapping her niece in a tight embrace. Stroking her hair, Kory let her cry it out into her shoulder. “It is alright for you to miss it. I, too, find myself yearning for Tamaran at times. It was our home, Korian’ri. Where we were born. But now home is here, with our friends. With our team. We belong here.”  
Ri took these words to heart. Kory was right, of course. But still, part of her was so homesick that it hurt. Sniffling, Ri pulled away, wiping her eyes. “I know. I’m happier than I’ve ever been. It’s just… so hard to let go.”  
“It is.” Kory placed a hand on top of Ri’s head and brought her in for another hug. “But do not worry. It will get easier, I promise.”  
Ri felt safe, tucked under her aunt’s chin and held close to her like this. An affection that she’d never felt for Komand’r. This must be what it was like to have mother.  
“When I was under the influence of the fear toxin, I saw… I saw Blackfire.” Sitting down on the edge of her bed, Ri looked down at her hands, wringing them in her lap. “I didn’t realize it before, but she terrifies me. More than I can express. I’ve always been afraid of her, in a sense, but never to this extent. Knowing that she wanted me dead, and what she can do – it’s horrible. I’m so scared that somehow she’ll find out that I survived the fall, and she’ll find me. That she’ll kill me for real.”  
Kory sat down beside her niece, her face bearing a fierce and grave expression. “Korian’ri, look at me.” Turning her chin, Kory made Ri meet her eyes. “I will never let that happen.”

/   
/

Bouncy carnival music played all around and bright colorful lights glittered across the dark water of the bay in the night. Several delicious smells surrounded Ri and Tim as they entered Stardew Boardwalk, hand in hand. Ri’s eyes widened in wonder as she took in the whimsical sights. A carved ivory Venetian carousel spun around and around, playing a steady /oom pa pa/ melody, lights twinkled on the numerous food and game stalls lining the dock, and a giant spinning wheel flashed with all the colors of the rainbow.  
“What is /that/??” Ri pointed in awe at the wheel.  
“It’s a ferris wheel.” replied Tim patiently. He was used to her amazement at the simplest of things by now. It was actually pretty endearing. “Let’s play some games and work our way down.”  
Leading the way to a balloon popping stall, Tim paid for his turn. It took a couple of tries, but eventually he’d popped enough to win a plush My Little Pony – a white unicorn with glittery purple hair. He’d let Ri pick it out and passed it to her as soon as the vendor got it down from the shelf. “There’s so much I want to show you – I’m not even sure where to start. Are you hungry?”  
“A little bit. I haven’t eaten since this morning,” Ri admitted, hugging the plush close to her chest. Tim noticed the top of the bandages wrapping her arm poking out from the edge of her white parka’s sleeve and felt his stomach knot. He’d done a little research and found that “troq” was a racial slur used against Tamaraneans, and now Ri had to walk around with it carved into her flesh.  
“Oh, I have something for you, too.” Ri stopped walking and dug around in the bag over her shoulders, retrieving a crimson watch with a yellow Robin symbol on it. Fastening it around Tim’s wrist, she flipped up the cover to reveal digital numbers and a few small buttons. “I made one for everybody on the team – see?” Holding up her own arm, she brandished a pink watch with an amethyst star symbol on it. “Pressing this releases a homing beacon straight to the Tower’s mainframe. If anyone gets captured again, we’ll know exactly where they are. And the bad guys won’t take them because they don’t look like communicators. It’s also linked to our comm. signal, so we can all stay in touch.”  
“This is great, Ri. You designed and programmed these by yourself?” Tim inquired, twisting his arm this way and that to get a better look at his new communicator. “It’s perfect. I’m kind of mad that I didn’t think of it.”  
They continued through the carnival, stopping in front of a brightly-lit, delectable-smelling stand, with large colorful letters painted all over it – “Fannie Farkle’s Snack Shack”, “CORNDOGS”, “FRESH LEMONADE”, “FUNNEL CAKES”, “SOFT PRETZELS”.   
Tim recommended the corn dogs and lemonade, which were wonderful. “This is so good!” she exclaimed happily after her first bite of the foot long corn dog, doused in mustard. Taking a sip of the lemonade, which came in a tall plastic neon-green cup with a bendy pink straw, Ri’s cobalt-blue eyes widened in awe. “How are these things so delicious?!”  
Tim chuckled lightly, taking a swig of his own drink. “The lemonade is hand-squeezed, and the corndogs are fried with a funnel cake batter. Fannie’s is my favorite place to eat on the boardwalk.”  
After finishing up their food, the two of them fell into step with each other towards the carousel. Tim caught Ri’s hand casually as they walked, and while it brought a light blush to her face, she didn’t object. In fact, she gently squeezed and laced her slender fingers between his.  
A warm feeling bloomed in her chest and resonated within her for the rest of their outing.  
Ri chose to ride a ceramic, intricately-decorated ivory unicorn with a swirly strawberry-pink mane and tail on the merry-go-round, while Tim situated himself onto the giant blue seahorse to her left. It was a bit comical, since he was little too tall for this ride. But he made the best of it, and even allowed Ri to take a photo of them on her cell phone.  
Dusting her white and pink parka off, Ri adjusted her matching plaid mini skirt and straightened her white tights as she hopped off of the carousel. Spinning around to face Tim, she smiled radiantly. “What’s next?” she inquired.  
Ruffling his overlong black hair, Tim returned her grin. “Well, the fireworks show is about to begin. And I happen to have the best seats.” Holding up two tickets for the Ferris wheel, he began to lead the way towards the gigantic spinning circle at the edge of the pier. Ri excitedly followed him.  
They stopped at a small sweets cart on the way, where Tim purchased a large cloud of pink stuff on a plastic stick that he called cotton candy. Uncertainly, Ri tore a piece of it off and put it in her mouth. Upon touching her tongue, it immediately dissolved. “It disappeared!” she exclaimed in utter bewilderment. Tim laughed and ate a piece of it as well.  
“Yeah, it does that.”  
“It’s really yummy, though” Ri decided, tearing off another piece.  
As they continued their trek down the boardwalk, a colorful red and white tent caught Ri’s attention. /Tattoos & Piercings/ was printed on a sign above the entrance. Stopping, she stared for a moment before heading towards it, with Tim close behind her.  
“I think… I think I want a tattoo.” Stopping just in front of the tent, she looked up at Tim. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while now, and I’ve been saving up for one. If I got one tonight, it will be a reminder of the wonderful time I’m having with you.”  
Hesitant, Tim rubbed the back of his neck. “You know they’re permanent, right?”  
Nodding, Ri messed with the strap on her bag. “I’m aware. But it’s something that I really want to do. Will you hold my hand?”  
Giving a small smile, Tim rested a hand on her shoulder. “Of course.”

/ /   
Admiring the simplistic artwork in the mirror, Ri couldn’t suppress her elated smile. A Totoro and several soot sprites were now trickling down the side of her upper right arm. After slathering it in some cooling gel and wrapping it in gauze and plastic, the pierced young man with a Mohawk who’d tattooed her gave her very specific instructions on how to care for it, as well as a packet outlining all of his advice so she would not forget.  
Paying him, Ri slid her jacket back on and folded up the aftercare instructions before placing them into her bag. Tim handed back her stuffed unicorn before they exited the tent and at last made their way to the Ferris wheel.  
“You know,” began Ri as they waited in the short line, “I think that once it heals completely, I’ll get some more tattoos to cover the scars.” Holding up her left arm thoughtfully, she pushed her sleeve up to reveal the bandages.  
Tim gently placed his hand over her forearm, giving a soft smile. “I think that’d be cool. I’ll go with you and hold your hand then, too, if you want…”  
Looking up at him brightly, Ri nodded.  
When their turn arrived, two men assisted them into an enclosed white gondola with glass windows all around the leather seats. Once the door was closed, Tim and Ri were lifted into the air, slowly ascending to a height of two-hundred feet.  
From here, the entire bay was visible. One could even glimpse Titans Tower across the water. Ri pressed her hands to the glass, eyes wide in wonder as she took in the gorgeous view. And Tim watched her with quiet intrigue. A small smile played on his lips as he observed her childlike excitement.  
Just then, the first round of glittering red and yellow fireworks exploded into the sky. Gasping sharply, Ri pulled back, but remained in awe at the colors lighting up the black sky. “Tim, it’s so beautiful!”  
“It is, isn’t it?” Cautiously, Tim reached out and took her hand, sliding around in the seat until he was beside her, pulling her up against him. They stayed like that for a while, her head on his shoulder, as they watched all kinds of colors explode into the night and dance across the water below.  
“I think Ferris wheels are my new favorite thing.” Ri said after a while, turning to look up at Tim. “Can we come again sometime?”  
“Anytime you want, princess.”


	7. Unmasked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for taking so long to upload. I've been moving and transitioning into a new line of work the past couple of months but i should be bck on track now. please leave a review letting me know how you like the story so far.

[Chapter 7]

= Unmasked =

 

 

 

Ri observed the dramatic yet elegant makeup Kory had applied to her face – smokey eye shadow, winged eyeliner, light blush, and shimmery mauve lipstick. She’d managed to make every appealing feature stand out. Kory had also insisted on a full, authentic ball gown for the mission, in spite of Ri’s protests that it would be too expensive.  
Kory finished altering the waist, standing up and removing some needles she’d been holding between her teeth. “There,” she said proudly. “It’s perfect. You look stunning.”  
The gown was made of soft cream silk, with golden scrolling lace, sheer puff sleeves, and high-low layers of chiffon trimmed in golden swirls about the skirt. Layers cascaded from her elbows and a crystal butterfly broach rested in the center of the sweetheart neckline.  
The very moment Kory had learned that Ri would be going to a masquerade under cover, she’d seized the opportunity to dump every glittery bit of her girly-ness onto her. Admittedly, Ri /did/ feel rather pretty now that she was dressed and standing before the full-length mirror on the back of her closet door.  
Dick popped his head into the room after knocking. “We’re ready.”

/. / / /

 

Tim fidgeted uncomfortably, wrestling his tie. He was used to wearing suits for Wayne affairs, but he was truthfully a bit nervous about this mission. It was Ri’s first time going out into the field since she’d been captured. He wouldn’t let that happen again. This time, he would protect her at all costs.  
“Sorry – Kory had a few last minute alterations to make.” Ri stepped into the room, and just looking at her left Tim breathless. His eyes widened as he took her in, all of her angelic beauty giving him a strange feeling in his chest.  
Her long hair was softly curled, gathering in the back with a small bun and cascading down around her shoulders. She was wrapped in silk and lace that perfectly set off her sapphire-blue eyes. Tim couldn’t stop staring.  
She was like springtime – bright and sunny and beautiful. Pink like blooming cherry blossoms. Yellow, like sunshine. Blue like the vast clear sky. She was light.  
“You look – wow,” Tim finally managed to find his voice. Smiling, Ri approached and began to fix his tie properly, the way she always did with his school uniform every morning. “Really, Ri, you are breath-taking.”  
Blushing lightly, Ri thanked him for the compliment. Nightwing cleared his throat as he entered the room and Ri shyly finished tying Tim’s tie.  
“This mission is purely for observation. Try to gather as much intel as possible without alerting the enemy to your presence. If it comes down to a fight, use your communicators.” Nightwing held up his arm to brandish a black watch with a blue bird symbol on it that matched his uniform. “Starfire, Beast Boy, Blue Beadle, and I will be on standby for back up.”  
After a bit more briefing, Ri and Tim were ready to set out. Taking the elevator down to the lobby, they met with Alfred and a sleek black town car. He politely opened the door for them and Ri thanked him as she slid into the back seat, Tim following after her.  
“Mister Alfred, I found one from all the way back in 1937.” Leaning forward so that her head was between the two front seats, Ri held out her hand to the butler, giving him a nickel coin that was old and rusted.  
“Ah, good work, Miss Ri.” Alfred took the coin and slid it into his coat pocket. “I’ll put it with the others. This one is the oldest yet.”  
Leaning back again, Ri adjusted the white carnival mask over her eyes. It was lined in metallic rainbow thread and decorated with silver glitter. Tim put his on as well – black, trimmed in gold, with bronze swirls all over it.  
It wasn’t long before they pulled up the winding paved drive that led to Thomas Simms’ manor, placed atop one of the highest hills in the area, which provided a sweeping view of the city below, sparkling like an ocean of lights. Ri was in awe of the sight until Tim cleared his throat lightly. She realized that Alfred had opened the door and was holding out an expectant hand to her. Accepting it, she stepped out of the car, careful not to tread on the billowing skirt of her gown.  
The mansion was vast and gorgeous, hints of Rococo architecture all around – in the pillars, the arched glass doorways, and tall rounded windows. The entire estate was lit up inside and out. Strings of white fairy lights wrapped the railing that led up to the expansive front porch, and every window was warmly glowing, casting shadows in their shapes onto the well manicured lawn.  
Tim carefully hooked his arm with Ri’s and began leading her up the smooth stone steps behind a couple dressed as peacocks – the woman was garbed in deep-blue silk and sapphires, beautiful green and blue feathers attached to her mask, and the man was in a tailored navy suit, a matching feather in his lapel.   
So many elegant people were here – such decadence made Ri’s had spin. Until she turned five years old, she had lived in the palace on Tamaran, but it had been a very long time since she’d been surrounded by such regality.  
Inside was even grander, if that was possible. Polished marble floors clicked beneath the small heels of Ri’s ivory and cream pumps, which were completely hidden by her skirt. Though it was late in the year, fresh white and cerulean flowers adorned long strands of ivy that wrapped the carved pillars of the spacious ballroom. Their fragrance was wonderful to behold.  
A long table of refreshments was set up on the other side of the dance floor – pastel macaroons arranged in a tall, pointed shape almost like a Christmas tree, three crystal bowls each filled with jewel-toned punch of some kind, and plates of intricate pastries.  
The ballroom was already packed, though only a few of the couples were dancing; some were chatting, eating, or taking in the splendor like Ri. Tim nudged her gently to get her attention. She understood – they were here on a mission, not for a good time. Still, it was rather exciting.  
“Do you see Simms anywhere?” he mumbled quietly, leaning down to her ear so that anyone looking on might think he was sharing an intimate comment with her and wouldn’t try to eaves drop.  
“There are so many people…” replied Ri uncertainly, her eyes scanning the entire room again from behind sapphire contacts. “There.” She nodded as she caught sight of the middle-aged billionaire in his suit, halfway down the grand staircase that led to the dance floor, speaking with two other men. He was handsome for someone his age; he had a full head of black hair with a single gray streak in the front, a clean-shaven face, and alert hazel eyes. In one hand he nursed a glass of champagne.  
Once Tim spotted him as well, he took Ri’s hand and led her out onto the floor. A dreamy piano waltz began to play and many other couples crowded around to dance along side them. She felt her face grow warm whenever Tim placed his hand on her hip and pulled her close to him, but relaxed as they began spinning together across the bare marble floor amongst a crowd of twirling skirts and tailcoats.  
After a moment, it was as if the rest of the room fell away, leaving only the two of them. Music surrounded them, keeping them moving in time with it, but Ri wasn’t focusing on the steps to the dance. Tim was a very good lead, but he didn’t seem to be paying attention to his movements either. As their eyes met, Ri vaguely recognized the song to be a piano cover of a David Bowie song called “As the World Falls Down”.  
The heat of a blush returned to her face as Tim pressed his forehead lightly against hers, bringing their gazes closer than ever. She could have sworn that stars shone brightly all around them, as if they were dancing across a galaxy, and her heart beat so fast that she could scarcely breathe. What was this feeling?  
Tim’s heart was pounding as well – she could feel it against her own when he pulled her even tighter against him. Releasing her hand, Tim cupped the side of her face, making her look directly up at him. Then he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, and it was like the stars she’d imagined began to explode into beautiful arrays of color.  
Too soon, the song was over and they pulled away from each other to join everyone else in applauding the pianist. Still blushing furiously, Ri cleared her throat and clasped her hands together before turning to Tim. “W—we should start searching for some kind of evidence. I’ll go chat him up and see what I can find out.”  
As she started walking away, Tim caught her hand and squeezed gently. Looking back over her shoulder at him, she found that he was blushing too, and wore an unsure expression. To reassure him, she smiled softly and squeezed his hand in return, which seemed to relax him. “Be careful, okay?”  
Nodding, she weaved her way through the crowd towards the staircase. As it turned out, Simms was already looking at her as she approached, so getting his attention was easier than she expected. Giving a small curtsey, – being in a gown again seemed to bring back some of the etiquette habits instilled in her as a child – she smiled politely. “Mr. Simms?” she inquired, though there was no mistaking; his photo was all over the city, on billboards and in local magazines. Apparently on Earth, having money got you a lot of attention.  
Giving a charming smile, he nodded. “The very man.” He took a sip of his champagne, placing his other hand into his trouser pocket. “I hope you’re enjoying the party, miss. I couldn’t help but notice you dancing, you’re rather dazzling.”  
While Ri couldn’t exactly fault him for mistaking her for an adult – she was petite, but she had her aunt’s busty and round hipped build – she couldn’t help but shift uncomfortably at the compliment. “Thank you. I was actually coming to tell you what a beautiful ball you’ve thrown. It’s breath-taking.”  
“Indeed it is,” Simms made no effort to hide the fact that his eyes were looking her up and down, which made Ri’s stomach tighten into a knot. “Would you like to see more of the house?”  
While that was exactly the invitation she’d needed, she didn’t feel very safe about going anywhere with this man alone. “I would love to.” She forced a smile. “But first, may I visit the ladies’ room?”  
Taking another drink, he nodded and pointed up towards the balcony. “Third door to the left.”

Thanking him, Ri lifted the sides of her skirt so she wouldn’t trip and made her way up the rest of the stairs as calmly as possible. When she was out of his sight, she pressed a finger to the concealed earpiece just above her dangling pearl earrings. “Tim? I’m on the second floor. Keep an eye on Simms – he expressed some alarming advances and I’m afraid he might try to follow me.”  
“Got it.” Tim replied gruffly.  
From there, Ri began trying different doors. One was the actual restroom, another was a large storage closet, a guest bedroom, and then finally, she hit a locked one. Gathering up her skirt to on side, she slid out one of the automatic lock picks attached to her thigh with a thick strap. Crouching, she set to work switching the locking mechanism. The door opened with ease and she quickly ducked inside, closing it behind her.  
Though the room was dark, it was obviously a study of some kind. Bookshelves lined the walls, and a heavy mahogany desk sat in the center, a computer monitor on top of it. Switching the screen on, she found that the security system was highly complex.  
“Dammit.” she muttered. “Tim, I found his office. But all of these files are heavily encrypted. It’d take even Dick an hour to hack this.”  
“Shit.” Tim sighed. “Okay come back. It looks like Simms is heading your way, so hurry.”  
Immediately, Ri shut off the monitor and headed out of the study, making her way briskly down the hall. After a moment, she ran into Simms, as Tim feared she would. “There you are. I was beginning to think you were lost.” he chuckled. Forcing another smile, Ri gave a small laugh.  
“Well, it would be very easy to get lost in such a big house.”  
“Ri, we have trouble!” Tim’s voice buzzed in her ear suddenly, followed by the sounds of shattering glass and several alarmed screams below. Both Ri and Simms leaned over the balcony to see what was going on, but Ri had to lift herself up and flip over to avoid a gunshot that had been aimed directly at her head. Instead the bullet buried itself into the marble banister and she landed safely on her feet on the first floor.  
Tim rushed to her side. In the panic, it was impossible to tell where the shot had come from – all of the guests were swarming toward the exit. Rolling up his jacket sleeve, Tim flipped open the red device on his wrist. “Nightwing, shots fired. We need backup.”  
“Copy. Titans, move in!” Dick’s voice responded through the watch. Tim grabbed Ri by the upper arm and suddenly threw her behind his back protectively. A tall man dressed in a strange gray wing suit stood perfectly still in the stampede of guests, facing Ri and Tim, a silver pistol directed at them. He wore some kind of headdress / cowl with yellow eyes that gave him the overall appearance of a bird.  
Gripping Tim’s shoulder, Ri stared for a long moment at the man. Her attention was suddenly drawn away by a person in an identical outfit yanking her off of her feet by her hair and throwing her onto the ground. Just like that she was pinned with a grown man’s full weight pressing down on her. She cursed her mother for not passing on the Tamaranean super strength.  
Thick gloved hands wrapped around her windpipe, pressing down hard. Gasping, Ri grabbed the man’s wrists and tugged. That was just her initial reaction – her military training soon kicked in and she straightened out her arm, bringing it sideways against his arms, forcing him to release her. She followed that with a punch directly to his jaw, and then brought her elbow back to nail him in the nose. He grunted and rolled off of her, grabbing at his face through his mask. Blood dripped down from beneath it.  
Getting back on her feet, Ri found that there were several more bird agents, two fighting her aunt and uncle on the balcony, one fighting Tim, and another fighting Robin in the entryway.  
Spinning rings of bright-pink star energy appeared around Ri’s wrists, and her eyes began to glow, disintegrating her contacts. She moved like lightning, tackling the guy who was pressed a large knife down on Tim’s escrima sticks. She sent him flying into the wall so hard that he left an indent in the plaster.  
“Do you realize how hard it is to fight in this thing?” Ri huffed, turning to Tim and gesturing to the cumbersome ball gown.  
Smirking, Tim flipped his escrima sticks around in his hands and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “On the bright side, you look beautiful.” When the bird man came back at them, Tim hit him directly in the diaphragm, then followed up with a strike to the side of the temple, knocking him out.  
“Who are these guys??” Ri inquired, pressing her back to Tim’s as two more closed in on them.  
“Court of Sparrows. Assassins.” Tim replied grimly. “Someone must have put a hit out on one of us.”  
“Three guesses who.” One of the assassins spoke as he approached Ri with his knife drawn. Ri felt pressure on her abdomen, and then she was sent careening to the floor, something wet and sticky on her hands. Looking down at them, she confirmed that it was blood. Had she been stabbed?  
No. Then where was the blood coming from?  
Tim’s head was in her lap, and his arm was wrapped around his torso. He wrenched the blade free and threw it aside, then continued applying pressure. His breathing was shallow, shaky. Tears sprung to Ri’s eyes as she helped him press down against his wound, her hands trembling like mad.  
“Nightwing! Starfire!” she screamed, sobbing. “Red Robin’s down!”

/  
/  
/

 

“So the first shots were fired /before/ you charged any starbolts?” Dick inquired, writing something down on the clipboard in his hand. “Then the Sparrows know your secret identity somehow. Since you were wearing a mask the entire time, I don’t think anyone else knows, though, so that’s good.”   
Ri picked at the hem of her skirt anxiously, desperately wanting to be in the infirmary with Tim. But the mission report had to come first. However annoying that was, she understood it. “One of the Sparrows basically said that their contract was for me. But I don’t know why someone would put out a hit on me.”  
“Chances are they put the hit on Starfall. I don’t know where the Sparrows get their intel, but they always seem to be several steps ahead of the game. So they were probably trying to take you out as a civilian.” Damian interjected. “There’s a good chance that they know your alias.”  
“We shouldn’t jump to conclusions just yet.” Dick lamented. “But for the time being, just to be safe, Jaime and Damien will switch their class schedules to match yours. This way we have eyes on you at all times if something happens.”  
Blowing out a small breath of worry, Ri stood up. “I’m going to sit with Tim now, if that’s all.”  
Frowning uncertainly, Dick put the clipboard aside. “Yes that’s all. I’m sorry, Ri, I’m not trying to make you feel like you’re being punished. Everyone here just wants to keep you safe.”  
Sighing, Ri’s shoulders drooped. “I know. And I am grateful. It’s just concerning.” Though she hadn’t had one for long, Ri knew enough to understand that protecting her secret identity was of the utmost importance. Now that the bad guys possibly knew who she was, she’d have to be more cautious than ever.


	8. Sweet Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m very sorry for the delay in updating, life has been crazy for me the past few months. I really hope you enjoy this chapter, please review! I’d like to know how everyone is liking the story so far  
> Thanks,  
> -Salem

[ chapter 8 ]  
= sweet seventeen =

////

Ri paused in scrolling through her web feed on the computer screen when her cell phone buzzed to life on the desk beside the wireless mouse. Jason was calling her. The small white kitty charm hanging off of it tapped against her hand as she picked it up and answered. Immediately, he was bellowing at the top of his lungs, “YOU ARE A DANCING QUEEN. YOUNG AND SWEET, OOONLY SEVENTEEN!”  
Wincing at the loud off-key singing, Ri laughed and glanced at her alarm clock — sure enough, it was midnight exactly; she was seventeen years old now.  
A knock suddenly captured her attention, and she ended the call, standing and opening the door to her bedroom. Tim was standing there, in his pajamas, messy hair and sideways grin. “Sorry if I woke you.. I just wanted to be the first to wish you happy birthday.” With this he handed her a small silver box covered in glitter. Ri didn’t have the heart to tell him that Jason had already beaten him to it, so she just smiled and thanked him. “You didn’t have to get me anything.” She assured as she lifted the lid on the box.  
“I wanted to.” Tim insisted.  
Inside the box was a small, glittery blue star pendant on a black cord. It was such a pretty color, it made Ri gasp lightly. “I hope you like it.” Running a hand nervously through his hair, Tim tried to gauge her reaction. Smiling brightly, Ri removed the necklace from the box and slipped it around her neck.  
“I love it.” she promised. “Thank you.”  
“It reminded me of your eyes when you wear your contacts. N-not that I don’t think your real eyes are pretty!” he added hastily. “They are, really pretty.”  
Ri gave a small giggle at his nervousness and took one of his hands. Standing on her toes, she softly pressed her lips to his. He relaxed and kissed her back, one of his hands holding her face just under her jaw, and the other one resting on her hip as he pulled her closer.  
Pulling away slightly, Tim rested his brow against hers. “Best birthday ever.” She whispered.  
/ / /

A tapping sound roused Ri from sleep, and at first she thought perhaps Kory was knocking at the door to wake her for school. But it was still dark outside, and the My Melody alarm clock on her nightstand read 2:17. Yawning into her hand, she sat up and rubbed her eyes before peering around the shadowy bedroom. The faint outlines of her desk and bookshelf were barely visible: her turquoise sequined curtains were open but there was no moon tonight.  
After the tapping started again, she realized it was coming from the window. Puzzled, as her room was on the seventeenth floor, she cautiously swung her legs over the side of the bed and approached the dark glass. Once her eyes adjusted, she yelped and jumped away, spinning rings of glowing pink energy appearing around her wrists. She’d seen a face. But thanks to the light provided by her starbolts, she was now able to make out familiar features.  
Sighing in relief, she lowered her hands and extinguished the plasma star energy surrounding them, unlocking and sliding the large window open. “Mother of X’hal, Jason, you gave me a heart attack! What are you doing here?”  
Dressed all in black — jeans, shirt, and leather jacket, Jason climbed into the room, leaving his grappling cable swinging in the breeze outside. “First of all — rude.” He held up his cell phone. “I was in the middle of a beautiful performance when you hung up on me.”  
Rolling her eyes and grinning, Ri turned on the pink floral desk lamp to give them some light. She was dressed in sunny yellow pajamas — pants and a button up shirt, trimmed in white lace.  
“You’re not here to give me an encore, are you?” Ri inquired tentatively. It was very late, and she wasn’t sure anyone was ready to be awoken by Jason’s “beautiful” vocals.  
Stowing his phone back into his jacket, Jason smirked. “You don’t deserve it. Now, to answer your earlier question; I’m here to give you this.” Reaching into his jacket again, he removed a small pale-pink box with a white ribbon tied around it. “I picked these up while I was over in Shanghai last week for you. They’re real. Happy birthday, kid.”  
Ri accepted the gift curiously and opened the box to find a pair of beautiful, perfectly formed pearl earrings. Her jaw practically hit the floor.  
Jason chuckled at her expression. “So I did good?”  
“They’re beautiful!” Ri breathed, removing the earrings from the soft, cushiony internal part of the box. “Thank you so much!”  
Jason took one of the earrings from her and got closer. “Here, let me help.” Carefully moving aside a few strands of hair, he easily pushed the pearl into Ri’s pre-pierced lobe, and did the same on her other side. “Now you look like you can afford to go to Crossfire Academy. Those rich bitches will be drowning in green when they see you.”  
Throwing her arms around his neck, she hugged him tightly. “Thank you, Jason.” She repeated gratefully.  
—  
Rising in the morning was a bit difficult after staying up so late, but nonetheless, Ri got up and changed from her pajamas into a pale-pink sweater dress and white thigh highs, sporting her new earrings and necklace.  
Once she stepped out into the hall, the quietness of an early Saturday morning settled over her. Everyone else was probably still sleeping. Perhaps it would be a nice surprise for her to make them breakfast. Awaking to the smell of fried bacon was the best way to start the weekend, after all.  
Heading to the common room, Ri stretched and yawned lightly into her hand. As soon as she passed through the doorway, she jumped back several feet, startled as her friends revealed themselves, all yelling, “surprise!!”  
Blinking a few times and looking around, Ri wore a puzzled expression. Brightly colored balloons floated gently in place all around the kitchen, and a few gifts wrapped in silvery paper were stacked on the counter next to a perfectly round cake.

It was frosted with vanilla buttercream and piped pink buttercream edges, finished off with a lacy pink frosting decoration around the middle and topped with rainbow confetti sprinkles.

“What is all of this?” Ri inquired, intrigued by the festive atmosphere.  
Kory stepped forward and smiled warmly, taking Ri by the arm and guiding her to the cake. “It is called a “birthday party”. It is to celebrate the day you were born.”  
Once she understood, Ri couldn’t suppress her bright smile.  
Her friends had planned this “party” for her as a surprise. Utter happiness flooded her, and she couldn’t help but start levitating several inches off of the ground. Bringing her hands together in joy, she exclaimed, “thank you so much! This is very kind of you!”  
Tim chuckled and took her hand, gently tugging her back down to the floor like she was an escaped balloon. “Were you surprised?” he inquired.  
“Oh, yes!” Ri replied. “I didn’t even know parties were thrown for birthdays. The act of gift giving is common on Tamaran for the day you are born, but parties are reserved for sacred occasions.”  
“Well here on Earth we like to get krunk any chance we can!” Garfield exclaimed, turning on the large stereo system. Upbeat techno music began playing, filling the tower.  
Giggling, Ri watched as Kory placed sixteen pink and white candy striped candles onto the cake. Tim wrapped his arm around Ri’s waist, placing a small kiss on the side of her head.  
Kory then lit the candles with a long lighter. “Alright, now you must blow the candles out and make a wish.” She explained, stepping back and picking up her instant camera. “But first we sing a special song for you.”  
Everyone began to sing in unison,  
“Happy birthday to you,  
Happy birthday to you,  
Happy birthday, Dear Ri,  
Happy birthday to you!”  
Leaning over the tiny flickering flames, Ri held her hair to one side and thought for a second about what to wish for. Then she blew them out, all at once. Applause erupted all around her.  
“Time for presents!” Donna announced excitedly, taking one of the metallic packages from the countertop and handing it to Ri. “This one is from me.”  
“Thank you.” Ri smiled brightly, taking a seat on the bar stool. Unwrapping it carefully, a bright-red Kiki’s Delivery Service art kit was revealed. On the front was an image of Jiji and his kittens. Eyes widening, Ri gasped happily. Since coming to earth she had seen many movies, thanks to Gar, but her favorite by far was Kiki’s Delivery Service. “Thank you so very much, Donna! It’s amazing!” She exclaimed brightly.  
“Told ya she would love it.” Donna smirked at Damian, who rolled his eyes and picked up a pink gift bag from the small pile and gave it to Ri. “Open mine next.” he said.  
Obeying, Ri sifted through some lavender tissue paper until she dug out a neon-green pillow in the shape of an alien head with slanted black eyes. In recent months, Ri had become obsessed with Earth’s idea of “aliens” — bulbous green creatures with elongated limbs. Laughing, she hugged the pillow to her chest. “I love it, Damian! It’s perfect!”  
Smirking in satisfaction, Damian shot Donna a look of triumph, to which Donna rolled her eyes.  
“Alright next is mine!” said Gar excitedly, turning into a pigeon and landing on top of a perfectly square package wrapped in holographic silver paper. Ri reached for it and tore the paper off to find an Eternal Sailor Moon figure that stood 13 inches tall, in its original box. Her eyes got even wider and her mouth fell open. Gar had introduced her to the show “Sailor Moon”, along with several other anime and cartoons, but this particular one had resonated with her due to the cosmic princess protagonist.  
“That’s number 43 of 300. It’s limited edition.” Gar explained.  
Ri actually stood up and hugged Gar whenever he transitioned back into a human. “It’s amazing, Garfield. I love it!”  
“Happy birthday, Ri.” Raven telepathically lifted the last package and set it down in Ri’s lap. Setting aside the boxed magical girl figure, Ri began opening Raven’s gift. It was a leather bound sketchbook filled with blank parchment, with several precious stones inlaid on the cover. It even had a small latch to keep it closed. Ri was taken aback by how pretty and intricate it was. “Raven, I — I don’t know what to say.” she breathed, running her hand over a smooth lapis lazuli stone. “Thank you — it’s beautiful.”  
Raven have a very rare smile and nodded.  
“And now it’s time for our gift.” Kory spoke up as Dick grabbed a long, rectangular package from behind the counter and handed it over.  
Lifting the lid, Ri found a pale-pink garment lined with red. The fabric was almost like nylon, but felt light as a feather in her hands.  
“Is this — ?”  
“We couldn’t have you running around in second hand uniforms forever.” Dick shrugged. “So Kory and I designed a suit for you. Go ahead — try it on.”

Happily, Ri practically launched from her seat and rushed to her bedroom. Emerging a few minutes later, she was garbed in a pink one piece outfit that wrapped her torso, lined with scarlet on the sides, a long cape like skirt starting at her hips and flowing downward to her ankles, as well as matching pink arm warmers and thigh high boots. She did a spin, causing the skirt to billow around her waist.  
“I love it so much!!!” She threw her arms around her aunt, hugging her tightly.  
Laughing, Kory returned the embrace. “I am glad. It is made so that it is not cumbersome during flight, is flame retardant, and has a stealth setting.”  
“It also can’t be destroyed by plasma energy, so you don’t have to worry about your starbolts disintegrating the fabric.” Dick added. With this, Ri swapped to hugging him.  
Looking up at her aunt and uncle, she grinned brightly, too happy to stay on the ground.  
“Thank you for everything — all of you. I have never had a birthday party before, but you’ve made it so special. I will treasure the memory of this day forever.”


	9. Ketza’l Keta’l

[Chapter 9 - Ketza’l Keta’l]

/ / / 

 

Komand’r closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh sandalwood of the incense burning in a stone bowl before her. She knelt in the floor among several flickering candles that provided only a bit of light in the otherwise pitch black room, at the center of a large summoning circle drawn onto the smooth floor with chalk. In her arms, a tiny bundle of white sheets wiggled slightly, a soft cooing sound following the movement.

“Ro’an ji zoza’n, Foy’a X’hel,” [“I call out to you, Father X’hel.”] “Na’ght ren siya Korian’ri taz eta’l ketzen.” [“And I offer you this Fallen Star in exchange for your blessing.”]  
The temperature dropped several degrees, and the balcony doors next to the queen-sized four-poster bed draped in dark-purple curtains burst open with a sudden gush of strong wind. Kom didn’t even flinch at the banging sound the glass doors made upon hitting the wall — she remained focused in prayer. “Ketza’l Keta’l.”  
All of the candles extinguished simultaneously, and the summoning circle began to glow a deep crimson, the color of fresh blood. It served now as the only light in the room, casting grim shadows onto Kom’s face as she placed the bundle of sheets at the center most point of the circle. For a moment, she stared down into her daughter’s bright-pink eyes and felt something strange. A warm, unfamiliar sensation. But as quickly as it was there, it was gone again.  
It was replaced with another feeling — an incredible feeling — as the red light of the circle lifted from the ground and surrounded her. She could sense her power growing stronger: Stronger than she’d ever imagined. Her eyes started to glow, and violet plasma energy gathered in her fists as she breathed in the redness, absorbing all of the Dark Father’s gift into her body.  
The bedroom doors swung open and an older woman garbed in beautiful purple silk rushed in, copper waves of hair falling out of a disheveled bun and her emerald eyes wide in horror at the sight before her. “No!” she shouted, gathering the skirt of her gown into her fists, which started to glow green to match her eyes.  
“You are too late.” Komand’r turned as the summoning circle completely disappeared. “And now before long, the throne will be mine, mother.”  
“Mother of X’hal, Komand’r! Do you realize what you have done?!” Luand’r practically screamed, her eyes welling up with tears. Obviously disgusted, distressed and in anguish, she sobbed, “You have welcomed him to take up residence within your child! Through her, He will rain chaos and destruction down on innocents! He will use her to destroy worlds!”  
Kom took a brief moment to study Luand’r  — the very definition of elegance, grace and beauty, even in her old age (the subtle strips of gray throughout her hair somehow made her seem wiser), draped in emeralds and the finest silks, a golden crown inlaid with amethysts situated at the base of her bun. She was every bit the picture of a queen. But her time was over. “I would sacrifice anything for the throne.” Kom said coldly, lifting her hand and blasting a powerful starbolt.  
The force of it sent the queen flying across the room, slamming into the wall face first. She dropped to the floor in a crumpled heap, blood draining from her nose and the sides of her mouth. Groaning, she pushed herself up and struggled to her feet again, swaying slightly and using the wall to support her back. Eyes narrowing in unquestionable resentment, — perhaps even hatred — she too lifted her hands. The plasma energy that she summoned was bright-green, like Tamaran’s sun. She hurled two starbolts at Komand’r, but the raven-haired princess was prepared: a purple shield of starlight suddenly appeared around her, absorbing the queen’s attack with ease.  
Luand’r cursed under her breath, stumbling a bit before gripping the wall again so she would not fall. “You will never be worthy of the title you so desperately covet. In your quest for power, you have committed the greatest sin — harming an innocent child. X’hal will punish you for this.”  
“X’hal be damned!” Kom snapped viciously. “That crown is my birth right! And you pushed me aside for Koriand’r because I couldn’t fly, or use the royal gift of starbolts. Well Look at me now! Am I weak now, mother?”  
Picking up a long, sleek spear from the floor beside her, Kom gripped the shaft angrily. The intricate blade at the end glinted sinisterly in the light of her glowing eyes. A lifetime's worth of rage boiled to the surface, forcing her to let out a bitter scream.  
Without further warning, she rushed forward, her blade pointed directly at her mother’s chest. The sound of it sinking into flesh was all that could be heard in the following silence, along with three drops of blood pattering to the floor.  
/ / /

Ri gasped sharply and shot up so hard that her bedspread flew to the ground, her eyes wide in terror. Glancing around, she realized that she was safe in her room at Titans Tower, and slowly her breath began to regulate again. /what an awful nightmare../ she thought to herself with a shudder. With a look at the clock, she realized it was a little past 7 in the morning, which meant for once she’d over slept, and everyone else would be bustling around the common room and kitchen getting ready for school.  
She wasn’t quite running late yet, though, so she took a moment to reflect on the disturbing dream, one phrase coming straight to mind as if it had always been there, floating around in her subconscious. “Ketza’l... Keta’l?” she murmured quietly to herself, uncertainty clear on her face.  
Just then, out of nowhere a wave of dizziness struck her, and a sharp pain began hammering through her head and chest. It was almost as if an invisible hand had stuck itself into her rib cage and was squeezing her heart. The agony and disorientation that followed led her to stumble out of bed, pressing her hands to her throbbing temples. She faltered, catching the white shelf beside her door for balance, knocking an entire row of books off into the floor.  
From there the pain only intensified, until she was screaming at the top of her lungs. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been wailing whenever the bedroom door slid open and in rushed half of her team, led by Kory, but still the brunette couldn’t stop the screams. It was so much worse than having her arm carved into over and over again, and she desperately begged, “make it stop! Please make it stop!” through harsh sobs.  
Kory knelt beside her, alarmed. “Korian’ri, what is wrong? Make what stop?” She inquired urgently. But Ri couldn’t speak anymore. With one last scream, her eyes rolled into her head and she fell back, losing consciousness. Tim was quick to catch her before she hit the ground, and gathered her up into his arms.  
An alarming amount of blood was pouring from her nose in two separate trickles down her face. Kory was grim faced with worry. “Take her to the infirmary.” she ordered, and then followed Tim out of the room.  
/ / /

“Other than a slight irregularity in her heartbeat, she seems to be perfectly healthy.” Dick read the chart uncertainly, glancing up at his wife over the top of the clipboard in his hand. He’d run several tests, only to find that nothing seemed to be seriously wrong with his niece.  
“See? I told you, Aunt Kory, I’m fine.” Ri patted her aunt’s hand on top of the white sheet. They were in the Tower’s medical bay, where Ri had awoken not long after passing out, tucked into one of the hospital beds. Kory had not left her side since then, and was presently seated on the mattress next to her.  
Kory was unconvinced. “Dick, you saw her! Something is obviously wrong — look at how pale she is! She was bleeding, for X’hal’s sake!”  
Her husband sighed sympathetically. “I know, babe. But I promise, I ran every single test I possibly could, and everything came back normal. I think it was just a nose bleed that had poor timing. It sounds like maybe she was having a panic attack.” Setting aside the clipboard, he turned to look at the monitor beeping beside Ri’s bed, which was keeping track of her heart rate, and frowned. “It’s still pretty irregular. I’ll keep an eye on it for the next few days. But other than that, she’s okay. I promise.”  
Reluctantly, Kory agreed to let it go, as long as Ri got some rest for the next couple of days. Ri wanted to protest — she’d already missed so much school — but the look on her aunt’s face was stonily determined, so she sighed and admitted defeat.  
After much convincing, Kory allowed Ri to return to her own bed. Most of the day, she slept — fitfully and restlessly, plagued by nightmares and disturbing visions of a revolting kingdom and a murdered Grand Ruler.  
Around 4 in the afternoon, she finally gave up and left her room to get a drink. The common room and kitchen were empty, save for a very concentrated Jaime, who sat at the bar, hunched over his chemistry homework. Grabbing a bottle of berry flavored water from the fridge, Ri unscrewed the cap and took a sip before deciding to intrude on his deep thought.  
“Jaime, can I ask you something?” She inquired, approaching the counter across from him. He glanced up, looking grateful for an excuse to close his notebook.  
“Sure thing. What’s up, chica? You feeling better?”  
“Much, thank you.” replied Ri with a smile. “I was wondering, do you know what the “diadem of Apokolips”?”  
Jaime gave a low whistle. “Rookies never do the homework.” he sighed. “Back a few years ago, this baddie, Darkseid, came to Earth from Apokolips, his home planet. He had this crown that was infused with rubies mined on that planet, and it let him harness the power of chaos. Even the Justice League had trouble taking him down. Eventually they managed to, but whole cities had been wiped off the map by then. He’d come to destroy our world. Afterward, the League entrusted the Diadem to the Titans. Now Dick keeps it under tight security somewhere.”  
Ri frowned. Ever since waking this morning to dizzying pain, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the Diadem, her torturous interrogation at the hands of Scarecrow at the forefront of her mind. She’d been raised a soldier — even if she’d known where to find this crown, no amount of mutilation or torture would have made her give the information up to her enemy. Still, it was not something she wished to live through again.  
Rubbing her arm, which she still kept wrapped in fresh bandages so that she didn’t have to look at the scars, she exited the room, muttering under her breath as she went. “Ketza’l keta’l...”  
Jaime frowned uncertainly as she left, turning to look at the elevator doors when they slid open behind him. Kory and Dick entered, carrying several grocery bags.  
“Hey, Kory? What does “ket-zall ket-all mean?”  
Giving him a strange look, Kory unburdened herself of brown bags on the counter. “Ketza’l keta’l?” She repeated in a much smoother voice, her accent much more in line with the alien language. “It is a form of greeting.” She explained as Dick began putting food away behind her. “It is mostly reserved for a very high place of power. One would say it whenever welcoming someone such as the Grand Ruler or High Priestess to their home.”

“But like.. the literal translation would be what?” Jaime pressed, anxiously twisting his pencil between his fingers. Something about the way Ri was behaving was wrong. He could feel it.  
“I do not believe it has a direct translation.. but the closest I can think of is “he who is welcome here”.”

/ / /

“Glad you decided to stop by, little brother,” Jason tossed his keys onto the coffee table on his way into the kitchen, Tim entering the apartment behind him.  
“Yeah, sorry i haven’t been around much.” Taking off his jacket and hanging it up, Tim grabbed a seat on the sofa. “We’ve all had to keep a low profile since the Court might have Ri’s secret identity.”  
Pausing with two bottles of low alcohol beer in hand, Jason went rigid. “The Sparrows know who she is?” He continued into the living room, handing off one of the bottles to Tim before taking a seat next to him.  
“Well, we don’t know for sure — but Dick thinks it’s a real possibility. We got attacked while covert. It could have just been a coincidence, though.” Tim explained, popping to lid from the glass bottle. “We’re all keeping a really close eye on here — Jaime and I changed to all of her classes, and we make sure that there’s always someone at the Tower with her.”  
“That’s good,” Jason sighed, taking a drink of his beer. “That kid is like a magnet for trouble.”

“She’s a real asset to the team, though. I just wish I knew who’d put a contract out on her. I have this theory, that maybe Scarecrow did? I’m just not sure how it all fits together.” Tim exhaled in defeat, also tossing back a drink. “It isn’t like Crow to use such underhanded tactics. Normally he’s very straightforward with his attacks. But if he’s working with someone else —“  
The bell suddenly rang. “That’ll be the pizza.” Jason stood, digging his wallet out of his back pocket. “Sorry. We’ll keep talking, but go pick out a movie for later.” As he went to the front door, he nodded towards his bedroom door.  
“Sure thing,” Tim hopped up and went down the short hallway into Jason’s dark room. Flipping on the light, he saw that the king sized bed was unmade with black satin sheets and a matching comforter, but everything else seemed to be pretty organized and neat. A shelf just above a desk in the corner held a selection of different BluRays, and just as Tim went the choose one, he froze.  
A familiar black dress with bright pink sleeves and a matching hood was tossed over the back of the desk chair in front of him. Stiffly, Tim lowered is hands and grabbed the garment, further inspecting it. Her scent still clung to it — flowers and sunshine, pure spring time.  
Clenching his fist around the fabric, he stormed from the room. Jason was setting the pizza out on the coffee table. “Took you long enough.” he chuckled. “What’d you decide on?”  
Tim’s face twisting in rage, he held up the clothing. “Why is my girlfriend’s dress in your bedroom?!” he demanded.  
Jason turned at the abrupt rising of Tim’s voice, startled and clearly confused. Then he saw the dress and sighed. “Ri is here all the time — she was walking a couple of days ago and it started pouring so she called me to give her a ride. I let her borrow some of my clothes so she wouldn’t catch pneumonia.” Holding his hands up in honest innocence, Jason’s face pleaded with Tim. “That’s it. Nothing happened. We’re just really close friends, man.”  
Suddenly, the red communicator watch on Tim’s wrist began beeping. Angrily opening it, Tim practically snapped “what?” In response.  
“Umm.” Ri’s small, uncertain voice come over the microphone. “We’ve received confirmed sightings of Crpytids on the south side. At least five so far. All titans need to meet there immediately.” Without responding, Tim closed the watch and tossed the dress onto the couch arm. An irrational rage overtook him — he knew he was being unfair and ridiculous, that it was only his jealousy making him angry. Taking it out on Jason wasn’t right. But right now, he didn’t care.

“Duty calls.” he said resentfully through gritted teeth, grabbing his jacket and shouldering past Jason.

 

/ / /

 

“Starfall, your left!” Blue Beetle called as he zoomed past after some kind of hairy, bat like creature that vomited acid.  
Twisting from her current opponent, a giant mutated cockroach with twisting purple eyes and way too many appendages. It stank of sewage and refuse and nearly made Ri gag. Shoving it away, she twisted to her left just in time to duck and dodge an attack from a similar creature. They were beginning to surround her on all sides.  
Trying to remain composed, she brought out spinning rings of pink starbolts, her eyes glowing. She lifted off of the ground and stretched the rings out into whips of pure plasma. Moving in a graceful whirlwind motion, she took out all five of the petulant insects. Their green innards spilled onto the pavement.

A shout disrupted her victory, cutting short the satisfaction of it. Quickly looking down, she saw Robin careen over the side of the water tower, bounce off of one of the support bars, and then crash into a nearby roof top. Eyes widening, Ri rushed to his side, barely a streak of pink light through the air as she flew.  
“Robin!” She crouched and took him by the shoulders. He was limp and unconscious, blood trickling down the side of his head behind his mask. Frowning, she gathered him up into her lap and began applying first aid to the wound.  
“Starfall! Look out!” Shouted Tim as he used his glider suit to land on the rooftop with her. But before he could defend both her and Damien, a bright flash ensued. A dome of pink plasma came over all three of the Titans, and Ri held her arms straight out, steady in order to keep the forcefield strong. The force of her initial attack had sent two cryptins — they looked like sewergators with wings and long, grotesque knifelike teeth practically spilling out of their wide mouths — flying backwards. Making a disgusted face, Ri pushed back as hard as she could, and whenever the cryptins retaliated, they could not penetrate the orb of protection.  
“Did you know that you could do that?” Tim inquired, stunned.  
“No,” Ri replied, her voice strained with the effort of holding the shield up. It was draining her power much faster than she was used to. “I saw it in a dream once.”  
Finally, assistance arrived: Starfire glided down to the roof and completely destroyed the cryptids, somehow maintaining a look of grace and elegance. “That’s the last of them.” Kory assured, resting her arms on her hips as the rest of the team assembled.  
As soon as Ri dropped the forcefield, she fell to her knees, panting heavily, completely devoid of energy. “Korian’ri!” Kory exclaimed in worry as she approached her niece. She kneeled beside her and gently took Ri’s cheek. “You’re running a fever.. you overdid it. You know using your powers so recklessly will drain you. You might as well be human right now. No more using your powers tonight.”  
Defeated, Ri agreed. “I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to.” She breathed as Tim lifted her up on his shoulder. “I have a shift in an hour, please just take me home so I can get ready.”  
“You’re seriously still going on about that?” Tim inquired indignantly. “You want a part time job, while a court of assassins is tracking you down?”  
“Well it’s better than being cooped up in school and the Tower all the time.” Ri snapped back. “What is your problem today?” As they got into the elevator at the Tower, Tim put her down beside him, but made no move to grab her hand or hug her. None of his usual affection could be found.  
“I dropped in over at Jason’s earlier.” He said in a tight voice as he exited the lift into the common room. It was dark and empty, as the rest of the team was still handling cleanup and running damage control. Tim’s jaw locked. “I found your dress. In his bedroom.”  
Confused, Ri walked around to make him face her. “So? I’m over there all the time. The other day it was raining, so he let me borrow some of his dry clothes and took me home.”  
Tim’s hands curled into fists. “You like him, don’t you?!” he demanded in a very loud voice. Ri winced — she wasn’t used to him yelling at her. “Of course I like Jason! He’s my friend!”  
“No, you’re in love with him. I can see it. Always looking at him with those big shiny eyes — eyes I thought you only had for me, but I’ve been so blind, and stupid.” Turning away from her, he punched a hole in the wall, startling Ri and causing her to back away.  
“I — i /do/ only have eyes for you, Tim. No one else. I promise.” She insisted.  
“Don’t insult me!” whirling on her, his voice rose again. But the rage drained away from his face when saw tears streaming down her cheeks, the fear in her eyes. Sighing quietly, he reached out to touch her arm. “Ri, I — “ she abruptly pulled away, an intimidated expression on her face.  
“I - I have to go to work.” She said, without looking at him. “Work out your jealously on your own time. But don’t you /ever/ speak to me that way again.”  
With this she disappeared into her room down the hall.


	10. What Is Best

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The hair clips that Ri gets are the ones Orihime Inoue wears in Bleach, only Ri’s are pink (obviously).
> 
> I’m taking a poll!  
> Comment which ship you sail
> 
> Failsafe — Jason Todd x Ri  
> Redfall — Tim Drake x Ri  
> RosaRi — Rose Wilson x Ri

[Chapter 10 — What is Best]

 

-  
/ /

 

“Ri, someone’s requested you at table six.” With her usual bubbly smile, Sugar entered the kitchen by opening the swinging doors with her hip, two trays stacked high with dirty dishes in her hands. Her shiny auburn hair was pulled into a slightly messy bun with a teal ribbon that matched her eyes. She flawlessly sashayed between the freezer door and bread ovens, dropping the trays into the dish pit before washing her hands and returning to the front.

Ri finished up drawing an elaborate design in frosting on top of a blue pastry, cleaned her hands, and followed suit.  
Though she’d only been working here for a couple of weeks, she thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere. Delicious smells constantly filled the air. The dining room was fairly small and cozy, only a handful of patrons occupying a few of the white heart-backed chairs at the small round tables. Pink and white pinstripe wallpaper covered every wall, as well as colorful paintings that Sugar had procured from local artists, the pink-and-White-checkered linoleum floor was well polished, and the display case by the register was filled with a rainbow assortment of all kinds of desserts. 

Ri approached the table at the front window, looking out onto the street. “Welcome to Sugar’s Sweet Shop— oh, hey!” Genuine delight brightened her face as she recognized the young man occupying the blue and white cushioned chair.

Jason set aside one of their pastel, laminated menus and looked up at her through white-streaked bangs. “Thought I’d check out your new digs. A candy store and cafe? Definitely your style. Nice outfit by the way.” He smirked, eyeing her uniform.  
It was frilly and cutesy — a high-waisted pink and white candy striped mini skirt that flared out towards the hem, a short sleeved cream colored shirt tied at the collar with a puffy bubblegum pink bow, and white tights.  
Ri crossed her arms defensively. “I happen to like it.”  
“Relax. I’m just messing with you, kid. It’s cute.” Jason chuckled, but then his face became more serious. “Why didn’t you tell me those lunatics at the Court were after you, sweetheart?” His voice was hushed now so that he would not be overheard.  
Frowning and looking to the floor, Ri somberly rubbed the tip of her black dress shoes into it. “I wanted to — I really did. But I guess I just thought that if I talked about it, it would become real.” Sighing, she bit her lower lip. “It was stupid, I know. It’s already real.”  
Jason frowned sympathetically. “Don’t worry, kid. Everyone around you is working to keep you safe. Even Timmy and the Hispanic dude changed to your classes right? So at least you can still go to school. I know how important that is to you.”

At the mention of Tim, Ri’s blue eyes widened and her hand covered her mouth. “I am so sorry about the other day — Tim hurt himself jumping to conclusions and he was so rude. All because I forgot to grab my dress when I left your place.” She sighed tiredly again. “I can’t imagine what he said to you, after how hateful he was to me.”

Jason’s tone turned stony. “What did he do?” he demanded. “Do I need to break his arm?”  
Quickly shaking her head, Ri waved off his threat. “It’s nothing like that. He just seems totally convinced that I’m in love with you. Or at the least, you’re in love with me. I haven’t talked to him in a few days — I don’t respond well to being yelled at.”  
Reluctantly, Jason took her word for it. “That kid has always been his own worst enemy. He needs to realize what he has before he loses it.”  
“He’s in the proverbial dog house for now.” Shrugging, Ri rubbed her arm. “Did you want to try something? We just released some new new drinks that are pretty good.” She suggested, giving her best smile in an attempt to lighten the mood.  
“Sure.” Returning her smile, Jason lifted the menu again and glanced over it. “How about.. the lime soda? That sounds great.”

After confirming with her manager that it was alright for her to take a break, Ri made drinks for Jason and herself and then returned to his table, taking a seat in the chair across from him. Eyeing the neon-green drink topped by vanilla ice cream and a cherry in a classic malt glass uncertainly, Jason took a sip with the red striped straw she provided him. “Looks like a booger, but surprisingly not bad.”  
Giggling lightly, Ri blew on her own steamy beverage. It was her favorite — white hot cocoa piled high with star-shaped rainbow marshmallows. Since starting work here, it had officially been added to the menu as “the Starfall”.  
“While I’ve got you here,” Jason began, removing a photo from his inner coat pocket and sliding it across the table, “mind if I have an autograph?” His smirk taunted her unbearably.  
The picture was one of the promotional flyers for the shop, and it was a blown up image of her in her uniform, holding one of their small signature cakes and smiling brightly. In pretty letters across the top, it read “Sugar’s Sweet Shop”. Rolling her eyes, Ri took a pen from her pocket and signed it.  
Jason chuckled. “Taking after Kory already?”  
“Honestly, I don’t want to serve dessert /or/ model for a living.” Sighing, Ri capped her pen and replaced it in her pocket. “I want to work on cars and bikes.”  
“What happened to your gig with Ryder at the chop shop?” Jason chugged down the rest of his drink.  
“I still work there. But it’s under the table since I’m not eighteen yet, and I need something on paper to qualify for the scholarship I’m applying for.” explained Ri as she stirred the melting marshmallows into her mug. The colors swirled together to make a rainbow in the white hot chocolate. “It’s not that I dislike it here. The tips are decent and the people are nice, but between school and moonlighting with the Titans, keeping up with two jobs is kind of exhausting. I’m also discovering new powers. Well.. not necessarily new. But powers that I didn’t know I had.”  
Before Jason could respond, two more patrons entered the shop and Ri gathered her now empty mug and spoon, standing. “Looks like my break is over. We’ll talk more later.”  
With that, she returned to work.  
/ / /

At the sound of the last bell, Ri gathered up her supplies from the art room and stored them in her bag before heading out into the filling hallway. Maneuvering her way through the throngs of other students had become good practice for the lunch rush at Sugar’s, so it didn’t annoy her quite as much anymore.  
When she at last reached her locker, she had barely put in her combination when someone called out to her. “Anders! Er— um, Ri!” A female voice rose from the crowd, which was beginning to thin as more and more people left school for the day.  
A shiny ruby ponytail bounced towards Ri from the direction of the science lab. Dread filled her belly as she recognized the freckled, pretty face of Elisabeth Darwin. Sighing, her shoulders sinking, Ri continued sifting through her locker for a few different notebooks. “Can I help you?”  
Frowning slightly, Elisabeth stopped beside her and rubbed her arm. “I deserved that,” She exhaled. “But I thought I should tell you — I’m done playing “mean girls”. I’d been trying to get Tim Drake to notice me since like sixth grade, and when he finally did, you showed up and he hung on everything you said. I got jealous, and got it in my head that you somehow stole him away from me. But now I know that it was my own fault for being a bitch.” Something in her expression told Ri that she was being honest. She wasn’t sure how to react — this was the first civil conversation the two of them had engaged in since meeting. Elisabeth went on. “That’s not who I am. And it’s definitely not the person I want to be. So this is me apologizing.”  
Ri was shocked into silence for a long moment. “Uh — all is forgiven?”  
Elisabeth tossed her hair and smiled, turning and looking back over at her shoulder. “Thanks. I’m off to cheer practice — I heard you’re really good at ballet, you should stop by and try out sometime. God knows we could use more seniors on the squad.”  
Ri thanked her for the offer as she made her way off in the direction of the gym. “If only I even had the time,” she sighed weakly to herself, closing her locker and spinning the dial.  
/ / /  
Frigid air practically froze Ri’s face as she ran, turning her small nose and cheeks scarlet. But she couldn’t slow down — already she was running late for her closing shift. Why did she agree to those after school SAT prep courses? Perhaps Tim was right — she was taking on too much.  
She weaved around people, the sound of her Mary Janes clicking on the sidewalk as she pumped her legs hard, her chest heaving with labored breath. Checking her communicator watch, she saw that the time was 4:41, and she still had several blocks to go before reaching the cafe.  
Mumbling a curse that Jason had taught her under her breath, she came upon a blinking crosswalk. Without paying attention, she darted out into the street.  
A loud squeal of tires sounded, along with car horns honking deafeningly. A sharp pain slammed into Ri’s hip, sending her flying several feet. She crashed into the pavement, bounced, and skidded to a painful halt in the middle of the intersection. Pain and shock racked through her small frame, causing her to shudder uncomfortably.  
It took a moment to register what had just happened — suddenly there was a person clad in black leather hurriedly approaching. “Oh my god! Are you okay? I’m so sorry!” They quickly ripped off their yellow helmet, revealing a beautiful porcelain face, long platinum white hair, Caribbean-blue eyes, and lips painted bright ruby. A small crowd had gathered and a nearby crossing guard had blocked off traffic. The girl set aside her helmet and crouched before Ri. “Do you need an ambulance?”  
Once she’d gathered her wits again, Ri glanced down, testing each limb individually to make sure nothing was broken. She was sore but it was nothing serious. “I’m alright.” She assured. “Just some scrapes and cuts.” Her left leg had a gash in the knee that ripped through her white tights, staining it with crimson and grease from the road.  
“Do you think you can stand?” The white haired young woman asked gently, placing a careful hand on Ri’s shoulder.  
With help, Ri /was/ able to get to her feet. After once again reassuring both the woman helping her and the crossing guard that she was fine, traffic resumed and slowly the gawkers dispersed.  
Parking a sleek canary-yellow motorcycle on the curb, the woman frowned uncertainly at Ri. “You sure there’s nothing I can do for you, Bright Eyes?”  
“It’s okay, really,” answered Ri with a smile. “I should have been watching where I was going.”  
“Oh no, I ruined your school tights!” Crossing her arms, the woman’s frown deepened. Well, Ri kept thinking of her as a “woman”, but she couldn’t have been older than Jason — maybe eighteen or nineteen. She certainly had a much more mature presence about her, though. Suddenly the girl crouched in front of her and removed a white cloth from within her jacket, carefully tying it around Ri’s wounded knee. “Come on, there’s a store around the corner that sells this kind of stuff. I’ll replace the stockings for you.”  
/ / /  
As the clerk rang up a package of pristine white tights, Ri took the opportunity to browse some of the merchandise on the counter. It was mostly jewelry made of colorful glass beads, novelty lip gloss pots, and friendship bracelets, but there was a small display that really caught her attention. Different hair pins had been arranged on a black velvet stand — everything from unicorns, to stars, to planets. But the ones Ri admired most were two matching pink barrettes made of acrylic, cut into the shape of blossoming flowers.  
“They’re cute, huh?” The white haired girl said suddenly, smiling down at Ri — she was at least two heads taller than the petite brunette. She then grabbed them and handed them to the cashier. “I’ll take these too.”  
“They’ll look so good with your hair!” Ri said excitedly. Even if it didn’t really go with the girl’s overall style, they would be adorable against her pearly white hair. The girl laughed warmly.  
“They’re for you. It’s the least I can do after hitting you with my bike.”  
“Oh, no! Y-you don’t have to do that!” Ri insisted, a bit flustered. She wasn’t used to other people spending their money on her, aside from whenever Tim took her out on dates.  
“Please. It will make me feel better.”  
“Well.. they /are/ really pretty.” Ri conceded, offering a smile . “Thank you so much.” She accepted a small white gift bag from the clerk with a bunny’s face and ears on it before she exited the little shop with her new friend.  
“Now, I’ll give you a ride to wherever it was you were heading in such a hurry.” Handing her helmet off to Ri, she slid onto the seat of her bike. “You ever ride one of these?” As she spoke, she adjusted the visor over Ri’s eyes, the way Jason always did.  
“A few times. My best friend drives one.” She answered, sliding onto the back of the motorcycle and wrapping her arms around the other girl from behind.  
“Cool. So where are we going?”  
“Do you know where Sugar’s Cafe is?” After the accident, Ri had made sure to call Sugar herself and let her know why she was running late. Luckily, Ri had an impeccable attendance record and her manager had even offered to let her off for the evening, but Ri had refused since she needed the money.  
“Yeah, downtown next to that old record place, right?” Revving the engine, the girl didn’t wait for an answer before merging into traffic. But it looked like she knew where she was going so it wasn’t a problem. “Do you go there a lot?”  
“Actually I work there.” Ri called over the wind.  
“You literally got run over and you’re still going to work?” She chuckled. “Bad ass!”  
After only a few minutes, they pulled up to the sidewalk in front of the cafe. Pink and white pinstripes adorned the awning above the floral stained glass door and the promotional poster featuring Ri was pasted in the front window.  
Ri took off the helmet and handed it back, thanking the girl once again for all of her help.  
“Anytime. You got a name, Bright Eyes?”  
Smiling, Ri replied with “I’m Ri. Ri Anders.”  
“Rose Wilson.” Returning her grin, the other girl donned the helmet. “It was nice running into you. I’ll see you around.”  
/ / /  
Twisting the key into the dead bolt, Ri locked up the cafe for the night, sticking her pink bunny keychain into her bag and adjusting her white parka over her work uniform. She’d stayed late in order to get all of the cleaning done and to make up for being so late for her shift. Sugar had insisted that it wasn’t necessary, but Ri ended up convincing her in the end.  
Turning to walk down the sidewalk, she noticed how eerily silent and empty the street was — it wasn’t super late, but it was a week night so there was no traffic, foot or vehicle or otherwise. Chilly New England wind wound between the towering buildings of Bullet City, signaling that autumn was well underway in Rhode Island.  
Wreaths with red bows and colorful lights adorned every street lamp in the downtown area, preparing for the Christmas season. This would be Ri’s first Christmas, and she was very excited — Kory and Dick were taking her to see the Rockefeller Center tree in New York City next week: apparently it was the most brilliant tree in the country.  
Despite the cold weather, an air of cheer and joy had settled over Bullet City ever since Thanksgiving passed. It was a nice change from the rushed city vibe.  
“H-help me,” a small voice caught her attention from a nearby alley. “Please.”  
Stopping for a moment and peering into the darkness, she strained to see who was talking.  
“Hello?” She called timidly, cautiously stepping into the alleyway. “Are you okay?”  
“Miss, please help me. I was mugged and I can’t move.” As she drew nearer the voice, she saw that it was a woman with dark hair slumped against the brick wall. She was wearing a white evening gown, which was stained with blood on her side. She pressed her hand against the wound, taking shallow breaths. “They stabbed me.”  
Realization set in and Ri immediately approached, crouching beside the woman and pulling out her cell phone. “I’m going to call an ambulance, okay? And until they get here, we need to keep pressure on the injury.”  
The woman gave a weak smile. “You’re an angel..” her hair was disheveled and her ear lobes were bleeding — she must have been wearing nice earrings that the muggers ripped out.  
After speaking with dispatch, Ri relayed to the woman that the authorities were on the way. But she didn’t respond. Her green eyes were dilated and frighteningly blank. Panic set into Ri’s chest as she grabbed the woman by her shoulders and laid her flat on the grimy pavement.  
Starting compressions, she performed CPR for about five minutes before it was obvious that it wouldn’t work. She was gone.  
Where was that damn ambulance??  
Tears clouded Ri’s eyes as she lowered her hands, which were now covered in the woman’s blood.  
“How sad.” Suddenly, a hand grabbed Ri roughly by the shoulders, yanking her to her feet. A man dressed in a Court Of Sparrows uniform emerged from the shadows to join his partner, who held Ri still with an iron grip. “Looks like you failed again, Starfall. What good is a hero who can’t save anyone?”  
Trying to pull away, Ri glowered up at him through her tears. Her eyes began glowing pink, but just as she was about to blast optic starbolts his way, a blunt object connected with the back of her head and she dropped.  
Everything went hazy and blurry, and as the men spoke to each other somewhere above her, their voices sounded like they were under water.  
Dazed, she slowly reached for her communicator watch to send out an “SOS” alert to her team, but a combat boot smashed down on her hand, instantly breaking several bones. Even in her disoriented state, Ri let out a shrill scream of pain that echoed through the block.  
After the men said some more things that she couldn’t quite understand, one of them crouched down behind her — she was lying on her stomach on the ground, unable to even lift her head. Hot liquid ran down the side of her face; they’d hit her hard enough to split her head open.  
More horrible panic took hold of her as she felt her skirt being lifted and her panties behind cut off. The cold steel of the knife against her skin brought more tears of terror to her eyes. These men were going to defile her, and then kill her. And she couldn’t even fight back. She would die just as her mother intended — shamed, helpless, and pathetic.  
Just then, she felt the knife pull away. Shifting her head to look up, she saw a third pair of combat boots, more scuffed than the others. The newcomer had grabbed the man taking Ri’s underwear off by the throat and was slamming his head into the brick wall over and over. A thick pool of blood quickly gathered at her savior’s feet. Another male voice — one she somehow knew didn’t belong to her second attacker — said something along the lines of “that’s enough. He’s dead.”  
After one last slam, the man dropped the Sparrow. Shedding motorcycle gloves that were slick with blood, he moved further into Ri’s line of sight.  
He gathered her gently into his arms. Slowly tilting her face up, she recognized him immediately. “Ja-son..” she murmured. He cradled her against his chest protectively, his warmth surrounding her and making all of the fear go away.  
“hang in there, kid.”  
“Let’s go.” The other voice belonged to a ginger-haired man clad all in red, a bow and quiver slung over his back. “There’s a Zeta transport just a couple of blocks down.”  
The Zeta tube Ri usually used to get home from work was in an old, bright-red phone booth that had an aged “out of order” sign stuck to the door. All three of them managed to squeeze inside, and a green light scanned them. It registered both Ri and the archer in an automatic female voice. “1301, Starfall. 104, Red Arrow. Unidentified presence.”  
“One Three Zero One, S-Starfall, guest, c-code twelve.” Ri slurred. But the computer registered her words and suddenly they were teleported into the large silver tube, opening into the Tower’s common room.  
“Starfall, Red Arrow, and guest.” Announced the computer. “Code twelve, immediate medical attention required.”  
/ / /  
“You /killed/ someone in front of her?!” Dick demanded, his face flushed with rage as he yelled at his adoptive brother.  
Jason kept a stony expression. “That son of a bitch was going to rape her!” it made him sick just to think about it. What he saw. He and Roy had been out on patrol when they heard her scream, and thankfully they hadn’t been too far away. But the image of that Sparrow bastard lifting Ri’s skirt would forever be branded into his mind and ignite him with rage.  
“I only wish I could have made his death slower.”  
“Do you realize how much you’ve added to the already massive amount of trauma tonight has brought down on her?!” Dick responded. “Do you even care??”  
“Of course I fucking care!” Jason snapped loudly. “That kid means the world to me!”  
Dick’s eyes narrowed and his voice lowered in warning. “I see the way you look at her, Jason. Don’t forget that you’re an adult — you two can’t be together. What you feel for her is sick and wrong.”  
Stunned, Jason’s jaw dropped for a minute while he struggled to find words. “I — she’s a /child/!” he sputtered. “You haven’t see her the way I’ve seen her! Broken like a little doll in a god damn hole! Confused and terrified and alone in the hospital! I found her, I have a responsibility for her. We’re close because I was the first human she trusted — that’s it! There’s nothing perverted about it!”  
Still, Dick set him with a glare. “I think it’s best if you leave her alone. You’re a bad influence.” he said slowly, deliberately. “Stay away from my niece, Jason. That’s not a request.”  
Jason’s eyes narrowed right back at him. “You can’t keep me from her, Grayson.” Then he turned and exited through the Zeta Tube.  
In the infirmary, Kory finished stitching up the wound on Ri’s head, as well as properly cleaning and dressing the wound on her knee and setting her hand with an Ace wrap. Shaking her head, she frowned. “You have had an eventful day.” She said sadly. “I am so sorry, Korian’ri. But I hope you know how happy I am that you are safe.” She placed a gentle kiss on Ri’s forehead before putting away the medical supplies.  
Ri’s legs dangled over the side of the examination table, and she swung them absently, watching them with great intent, and yet seeing nothing. She was still in shock over the entire thing. Watching two people violently die, being sexually assaulted, getting hit with a motorcycle, and sustaining another concussion in one day was a little too much for her.  
“Can I go lie down, aunt Kory? I’m really tired.” She asked in a small voice. All of the strength had drained out of her.  
Kory hugged her warmly for a moment. “Of course. I will check on you every few hours to make sure that you are okay.”  
“Thank you, aunt Kory.” Ri mumbled. But she wasn’t okay. Not at all.


End file.
